Devyn Murphy: Third Year at Hogwarts
by Nathan Lane-Beatles Luvr
Summary: Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban and Devyn is entering her third year at Hogwarts. This year, she must contend not only with a growing crush on Neville and her godfather being the new DADA teacher and new "female problems" but also the fact that a insane murderer is on the loose. But something about Black seems off to her. There's more to the story. *Follows 3rd Movie*
1. Chapter 1

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS. I ALSO DON'T OWN 'HOTEL CALIFORNIA', THAT BELONGS TO THE EAGLES.**

**Chapter 1**

"_On a dark desert highway_

_Cool wind in my hair_

_Warm smell of colitas _

_Rising up through the air_

_Up ahead in the distance_

_I saw a shimmering light_

_My head grew dizzy and my sight grew thin_

_I had to stop for the night_

_There she stood in the doorway_

_With a mission bell_

_And I was thinking to myself_

_This could be heaven or this could be hell -"_

"Speaking of hell, what the **hell** are you singing?"

Devyn turned around to look at her godfather, Remus "Moony" Lupin, who was standing in her doorway, smiling amusedly at her.

Devyn, who had grown at least an inch and half over the summer, was 13-going-on-14 years old, had bright blue eyes that could rival Albus Dumbledore's and short brown hair, was packing her trunk up, getting ready for another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She, Moony, Neville, and Mrs. Longbottom would be going to Diagon Alley the next day, in order to both get their things and meet up with Hermione, the Weasleys, and Harry, who were all there already. Ron and his family had just returned from a trip to Egypt after Mr. Weasley won some Ministry lottery or something. Hermione had been in France over the summer and Harry had evidently escaped the Dursleys early for some reason. Harry had promised her that he would tell her everything when he saw her.

"You should know, you were a teenager in the 1970s," Devyn answered with a grin. Moony rolled her eyes at her and said, "Well, I don't. So what and who is it?"

"It's called _Hotel California_. It's by an American Muggle rock band called the Eagles. Hermione put me on to them. They're really good. You'd like them. The song that I was singing was released in 1977."

"Oh. That was the year I graduated Hogwarts. What a year that was, too."

Moony sighed quietly, lost in his memories, and after a minute or so, Devyn cleared her throat. Moony came back to the present and smiled at her.

"How was the full moon last night?"

"It was the best I could hope for, really."

"You're feeling alright, then?"

"As well as can be expected," Moony replied, although Devyn could see how pale he was, as well as the addition of a couple new cuts that would eventually become scars. Her godfather was covered in scars because of the wounds his werewolf form inflicted on his body, given that Moony removed himself from the vicinity of any humans for the werewolf to attack.

Moony _was_ a werewolf, and every full moon, Devyn went over to her best friend Neville Longbottom's house, because evidently it wasn't safe for her at home. Devyn wasn't stupid; she understood that werewolves were dangerous to humans, but that was the thing. She wasn't always a human. Sometimes she was a wolf, but not like Moony.

She had unwittingly become an Animagus in her first year at Hogwarts, when she was twelve years old. Of course, her godfather had no idea about her Animagus, and she intended to keep it that way, at least until she could tell him without giving him yet another heart attack.

Her previous years at Hogwarts hadn't exactly been, well, easy-going. Her first year, she and her friends Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley had gone up against Lord Voldemort, the most evil Dark wizard ever known in the Wizarding World to date, but he had been weak. He had been living like a parasite off the soul of another wizard, Professor Quirinus Quirrell, Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Together, he and Voldemort were trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, a powerful magical object that had the capability of making one immortal. Devyn nearly died that year, when she cracked her skull open after she attacked Quirrell in her Animagus form, Snow, in an effort to stop him choking Harry to death. Her attempt had worked, but Quirrell threw her off and she cracked her skull open on a stone wall when she hit it. Apparently she lost a lot of blood, and then she was in a coma for two days, but she remembered almost nothing after she blacked out.

She only remembered fighting Quirrell, being thrown off, and then waking up in the Hospital Wing two days later with some very concerned friends and a whopping headache.

In her second year, they had had to deal with an extremely incompetent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, who had been more invested in his own physical appearance and reputation than saving the life of Ginny Weasley, younger sister of Ron Weasley, when she had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets, a hidden, thought to be mythical set of tunnels and a large chamber built by Salazar Slytherin himself. The Chamber had been purported to be the home of a terrifying monster, which turned out to be a Basilisk. The Basilisk had been set on Muggle-born students and the caretaker's cat, which ended in them being Petrified (sort of frozen) until which time a cure could be whipped up via Mandrake juice. Hermione had been one of the Muggle-borns attacked, so the entire ordeal was rather personal for Devyn. In the same year, she and her friends (although it was more Harry than anyone) cleared Hagrid's name, who was thought to be behind similar attacks that had happened fifty years ago. Hagrid had been expelled because he had been framed by Tom Riddle, who would later become Voldemort, for the death of a girl, Myrtle, who was now a ghost and was known by the nickname Moaning Myrtle by the students.

Before they had cleared Hagrid's name, the monster was thought to be Aragog, Hagrid's pet Acromantula, who had tried to eat Devyn, Harry, Ron, and Hagrid's boarhound Fang last year. Hagrid had been taken to Azkaban, the wizard prison, but because of their efforts, he had been released shortly before the end of the year.

At the end of the year, she, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Lockhart all went down to the Chamber of Secrets to rescue Ginny, who had been possessed by a memory of a sixteen year old Voldemort by means of a diary. Ginny had been the one who set the Basilisk on the students and Filch's cat, but she hadn't meant to. Voldemort, or Tom Riddle as he was known then, had been controlling her.

Anyway, when they went down there, Lockhart tried to remove her memory along with her friends' memories because they found out he was a fraud, but had stolen Ron's busted wand to cast the spell, which led to it backfiring and wiping _his _memory instead. The spell caused him to smack into the side of the stone wall, which caused an avalanche of sorts, cutting Harry and Devyn off from Neville, Ron, and Lockhart.

This forced Harry and Devyn to continue on their own into the heart of the Chamber. Luckily, Ginny was alive, but close to death. They found out that Riddle really was behind the attacks and that Riddle was actually Voldemort. They then fought the Basilisk with the aid of Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet Phoenix and the Sword of Gryffindor, which was brought to them by Fawkes. Harry eventually killed it, but not before being stabbed with one of the Basilisk's fangs when he was killing it, which almost caused Harry to die.

In fact, he would have died had it not been for Fawkes. Basilisk venom only had one known cure: Phoenix tears. Fawkes saved Harry's life. Right when Harry was about to die, he took the Basilisk fang that had stabbed his arm and destroyed the diary with it, effectively killing the memory of Riddle.

By the end of her second year, Devyn was dealing with a slight crush on Neville, the beginning of her teenage years, a very vain DADA teacher who had wiped his own memory, Harry's discovery (as well as the rest of the school) that he was a Parselmouth (meaning he could speak to snakes) and that Devyn was, too; helped defeat a Basilisk, and helped to free the Malfoy family's House Elf, Dobby, who had been the one to warn Harry about the Chamber being opened again in the first place.

It was all very convoluted, really.

It had not been a good year, to say the least. She hoped this one would be better. She thought it would, because third years were allowed to visit the Wizarding village, Hogsmeade, which was home to the Three Broomsticks, a place where students could buy Butterbeer by the gallon if they wanted; Zonko's Joke Shop, which was where Devyn supposed Fred and George Weasley got most of their pranking material, unless they made it themselves; Honeydukes, the sweet shop that had every kind of sweet imaginable; and the Shrieking Shack, which was reported to be the most haunted building in Britain, although Hogwarts probably had it beat. Moony had signed off on her permission form without a second thought, knowing how amazing Hogsmeade actually was.

With a sigh, Devyn wrenched herself out of her memories and turned to look at Moony as she was folding up one of her shirts.

"You should just go and lie down. You need your rest, Moony."

Moony gave her a look. "I'm fine, _Mother_. Besides, I need to talk to you about something. Well, actually, two things."

"Okay..." Devyn said. She set aside her shirt and looked expectantly at Moony. For the first time, she noticed that he had a copy of today's Daily Prophet, the British Wizarding World newspaper, in his hand.

"What's that about, then? Something important in the news?" Devyn asked, nodding at the newspaper. Moony frowned deeply and sighed.

This got Devyn concerned.

"Moony," she asked. "What's wrong? Come on, you can tell me."

Moony sighed again and said, without looking at her, "Devyn, how much do you know about...about a man named Sirius Black?"

Now it was Devyn's turn to frown. She sighed and tried to recall what McGonagall told her two years previously. "Well...I know that you were friends with him in school. You, my dad, Harry's dad, and a bloke called Peter...I know that he came from a Dark family that were big supporters of Voldemort, but that Sirius always said that he wasn't anything like his family..."

"Is that it?" Moony asked, when she trailed off. Devyn shook her head and said slowly, "I know that he's in prison. And I know **why **he's in prison. He murdered your friend, Peter."

The dark look in Moony's eyes told her that there was something more to the story, but she could sense that it was a personal and sensitive subject for him, so she wasn't going to ask.

"Yeah," Moony said. "That's right."

Moony glanced out the window at the sunny late summer afternoon outside. Then he looked around Devyn's room, smiling. Devyn imagined he was remembering the day that they painted the room together. That had been not long after Moony adopted her; in fact, it was the day that Moony had first told that he was a werewolf. He had fully expected her to run screaming for the hills, and when she didn't, he was rather confused. And when she told him that she didn't care that he was a werewolf, he was completely and properly stumped.

_Merlin, that seems so long ago now_, Devyn thought.

"Okay, so seriously, Moony...why are you asking what I know about Sirius Black?"

Moony heaved yet another sigh and said, "Because he's broken out of Azkaban. He's escaped, Devyn."

"_What?_" Devyn nearly shouted. Moony nodded and handed her the copy of the Daily Prophet he had with him. Devyn took it quickly and stared at the large block letters that read: **ESCAPE FROM AZKABAN!**

Underneath the title, there was the actual article detailing why Black was in Azkaban in the first place and how he has escaped and how there was now a nation-wide search by the Azkaban guards, which were called Dementors, apparently, for Black.

She only scanned the article because she was more interested in the picture of Black that was smack in the middle of the paper.

It must have been taken right after Black was arrested because he was holding what could have been stone or metal that had his prisoner number on it. He had either dark brown or black hair that was cut just below his jaw line. He was rather handsome, but he was currently very angry - furious, in fact, because he was screaming at people who were evidently off to the side of the picture.

Devyn wondered what he could have been screaming about.

"Is he...he's insane, isn't he?"

She looked up at Moony, who shrugged. "I don't know. Probably. Everyone who goes into Azkaban goes insane, if they weren't already in the first place."

"Why?" Devyn asked.

"Mostly because of the Dementors."

"The guards? Why? What's so bad about them?"

"They are foul and evil," Moony replied.

"How do you mean?"

Moony shook his head and said, "Well...they sort of...they feed on every good feeling, every happy memory until a person is left with nothing but their worst experiences. They literally suck the happiness out of you. And if a person is tortured by their worst memories long enough..."

"They lose their minds," Devyn finished for him. Moony nodded and Devyn said, "They sound horrible. What do they look like?"

"No one knows. And anyone who's actually seen what they look like isn't in any shape to tell the rest of us."

"What? But, I mean, someone must know what they look like."

"Well, let me explain. The Dementors...well, they glide around. I suppose that would be the best way to describe it. They glide around and they wear big black cloaks. It's actually really hard to describe them because it's the feeling that you get when they're around that makes them so terrifying."

"W-What do you feel?" Devyn asked. She was almost afraid to know.

"Like you'll never be happy again. Like...you're doomed to live out the rest of your life in complete misery."

"That's awful. I hope I never encounter one," Devyn said, a disturbed look in her eyes. Moony nodded and said, "So do I, love. So do I."

Taking a deep breath, Devyn said, "I suppose you can't really blame Black for wanting to escape, then, eh?"

Moony shook his head, but said, "It should have been impossible, though. I really don't want to think about how he escaped. But anyway, I don't know where he might be going, so I want you to be extra careful this year, okay? At least until Black is caught again."

"What, you think Black might come to Hogwarts?"

"I don't know. Last time he was free, he murdered Peter, along with twelve Muggles. I don't know what he's capable of, or what he'll do."

"He murdered thirteen people?!" Devyn shrieked.

_He must be a total nutter..._she thought. _Sadistic, and murderous..._

Moony nodded and then, in that moment, Devyn wanted nothing more than to never speak of Black again. She could see that the subject was causing her godfather pain, and he'd had enough of that in his life - he didn't need any more.

"So...you said there were _two_ things you wanted to talk to me about."

"Yes, I did," Moony said. His entire demeanor changed with that one sentence. "What do you think Defense Against the Dark Arts will be like this year?"

Devyn shrugged. "I don't know. It can't be any worse than when Lockhart taught it, can it? He was utterly useless."

"Do you think it would be better if I was the teacher?" Moony asked.

"Oh, definitely. You'd be the best DADA teacher ever. I mean, you taught me a bunch of spells that I normally wouldn't learn until either this year or next year. You'd be the perfect teacher, Moony."

"Well, I'm glad you think so, because..."

"Because what, Moony?" Devyn asked, narrowing her eyes. Moony grinned and said, "Because Professor Dumbledore just Floo called me and asked me if I would like to be the DADA teacher this year. I accepted."

Devyn's eyes went wider than was thought humanly possible.

"Are you serious, Moony?!"

When he nodded, Devyn cheered and jumped up and down. "That's **brilliant!**"

"You think so?" Moony asked, grinning at her.

"YES! Oh, now I won't miss you so much! We can see each other all the time! Oh, this'll be amazing!"

Moony chuckled and said, "All right, all right, calm down. Seeing as it's so close to September 1st, I thought I might as well just hitch a ride on the Hogwarts Express, if that's all right with you?"

"Oh, that's fine! Oh, I'm not telling anyone. I want it to be a surprise! Although Hermione'll figure it out, I bet. Oh...wait. What about the full moons?"

"Don't worry, Professor Dumbledore's got it all worked out. Apparently, Professor Snape is going to be making this potion for me called the Wolfsbane Potion that, if brewed correctly, allows the werewolf to keep his or her mind during the transformations. I'll only be a harmless wolf. Well...as harmless as a wolf can be, I suppose."

"Oh, that's great! I don't know, though...Snape...you trust him?"

"He isn't going to try to poison me. No, Severus and I have a history, and it isn't all that pleasant, but Dumbledore has asked him to do this, and I'd be able to smell the poison a mile away. Wolf senses, you know."

"Yeah, I know," she said accidentally. Luckily, Moony just took it to mean that she knew wolves had superb senses, instead of that she mean she personally _knew _about wolf senses. Moony nodded and said, "Okay. Well, now that that's settled, why don't you introduce me those Falcons you were talking about."

"The Eagles," she corrected him with a laugh.

"Right, the Eagles."

"I'm telling you, Moony, you're gonna love 'em."

As she pulled out some of the old records she had managed to find in this record shop in the nearest shopping area that she and Neville went to over the summer and put them on, she wondered how this year was going to be.

She knew that Moony was going to make a brilliant teacher, but she was worried about his transformations and she didn't really trust Snape, but Moony seemed to, and that was good enough for now.

The only _**real**_ dark spot on the horizon was Sirius Black and the fact that he was running around somewhere on the loose.

* * *

**Well, there we go! The first chapter of Devyn Murphy: Third Year At Hogwarts! Like always, I don't know how consistent my updates will be, so you'll have to bear with me. Please leave a review! They really make my day, thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 2**

"Hermione!"

Neville and Devyn's bushy haired friend turned around with a big smile on her face. In her arms was particularly large ginger cat that looked like it had had a fight with a brick wall and lost. Either way, Devyn smiled and ran towards her friend.

Hermione deposited the cat onto a nearby bench and Devyn noticed it streak off after it saw something on the floor. Probably a rat or something. Devyn and Hermione embraced tightly and then she turned to Neville, who had gotten taller as well over the summer.

"Oh, I've missed you two!" Hermione exclaimed, hugging Neville. Neville grinned and said, "We missed you too, Hermione."

Devyn smiled brightly at Neville and Hermione looked between them with an eyebrow raised almost imperceptibly. Devyn tried to ignore it, remembering how in first year, when Hermione put the full-body bind on Neville and Devyn told him that if she didn't come back that night, that she loved him, Hermione had been of the opinion that Devyn "liked" Neville as more than a friend. At the time, she hadn't been sure, but now...well, actually, she was even less sure. She and Neville were both 13 now (although Devyn was a couple months away from 14) and crushes were going to start rearing their heads, and Devyn had a feeling about the exact direction hers were going in.

It only bothered her slightly that she wasn't bothered by the fact that she had a slight crush on Neville at all, which seemed a bit of a contradiction. However, she wasn't about to let this crush show and possibly tear apart her friendship with Neville. He meant far too much to her for that.

"So," Devyn said, trying to draw Hermione's attention away from her and Neville, "who was your feline friend?"

"Yeah, and where did he go?" Neville asked. Hermione got an alarmed expression on her face and looked around her wildly.

"Oh, no! Not again! Oh, his name is Crookshanks. I got him a couple days ago. He keeps running off, chasing -"

"**CATCH THAT CAT!**"

Hermione's face crumpled and she said, "Scabbers."

At those words, the cat named Crookshanks zoomed past them, nearly taking out Neville's leg in the process, in hot pursuit of a fat gray rat, who was squeaking in terror.

Seconds later, Ron, Fred, and George sprinted past them, Ron yelling in anger.

"Hermione, I'm going to **MURDER** your cat!" Ron shouted as he passed them. Devyn and Neville blinked in confusion and Devyn said, "Can't leave you alone for five minutes without hell breaking loose, can we?"

Hermione smiled frantically and said, "Apparently not. D'you think you could help catch him? Fact is, Devyn, you're faster than any of us..."

Devyn laughed and said, "Yeah, sure, no problem, Hermione."

Devyn waited a couple seconds until she saw Scabbers and then Crookshanks and shot her hand out like lightning and caught Crookshanks by the scruff of his neck. He started spitting at her angrily but she just stared him down. Eventually he calmed down enough for her to give him to Hermione.

"Thanks," Hermione said, enormous relief in her face. Devyn nodded and waited a minute or two until Ron came around holding Scabbers tightly. Crookshanks hissed when he saw Scabbers but did nothing else.

"I'm warning you Hermione, keep that bloody beast away from Scabbers, or I'll turn it into a tea cozy!" Ron said forcefully. Neville chuckled but silenced immediately when Hermione glared at him. Devyn patted him on the shoulder and he tried to suppress a smile from cropping up.

"He's a cat, Ronald, what do you expect? It's in his nature!" Hermione shot back.

"A cat?! Is that what they told you? Looks more like a pig with hair if you ask me!" Ron fired at her.

"That's rich!" Hermione snapped. "Coming from the owner of _that _smelly old shoe brush! It's all right, Crookshanks, just ignore the mean little boy..."

Ron looked like he was about to retort but Devyn stepped in between them and put her hands out to keep them apart from one another.

"All right, all right. Let's play nice, children."

"Her bloody cat keeps trying to eat Scabbers! It's bad for his health! And he was here first!" Ron exclaimed. Devyn cast a look at him and said, "Stop, Ron. Crookshanks is a cat, and it is in his nature to chase rats -"

"But-" Ron started.

"However!" Devyn continued loudly. "Hermione, as Crookshanks' owner, it's your job to train him, or at least attempt to keep a reign on him. Okay?"

They both nodded but everyone and their mother would be able to tell that this argument was far from over.

Devyn shook her head then looked up and smiled. Harry was standing on the staircase in front of them smiling at them amusedly.

"Hi, Harry!" Devyn said. Ron and Hermione snapped their attention over to the staircase and they both said his name in greeting. Harry descended down the rest of the stairs and walked over to them. He hugged both Devyn and Hermione and "manly embraced" Neville and Ron.

"Okay. So tell us, Harry...how did you manage to escape the Dursleys? Was it Dobby again?" Devyn said, as the five of them started walking back into the main part of the Leaky Cauldron, which was the point of entry to Diagon Alley through the Muggle world. As it was, Devyn and Neville had just finished up at Diagon Alley, with getting the rest of their supplies for the year. They both were taking the normal subjects (DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, and Astronomy) but were also taking two new subjects as well, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.

When Moony learned that she had chosen Divination at the end of last year, he rolled his eyes and said that it was a load of waffle, but Devyn shrugged and told him that it had been either that or Arithmancy, and she wasn't about to do **that**.

At the current time, Moony was talking to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, while Mrs. Longbottom was busy chatting with Tom, the Leaky Cauldron's landlord.

"No," Harry said with a laugh. "It wasn't Dobby. No...I, uh...I sort of blew up my aunt."

"You _what?_" Hermione said in shock.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you the entire thing on the train, okay?"

Devyn shrugged and then Neville said, "...You have an aunt? I mean, besides Petunia."

Harry nodded and said, "She's my uncle's sister. More or less just as foul as he is, if not more. She breeds bulldogs, and they are as evil as her, especially Ripper. He's the oldest, and believe me, the foulest of them all."

Devyn shook her head. She hated the fact that Harry was forced to go back to a place where he wasn't wanted every summer, but there was nothing she could do about it. It only had to last until Harry was 17, the age that wizards and witches reach adult status, but that was still 4 years off.

"Anyway," Ron said, as they sat down at the table. "Look at this."

Ron pulled out the newspaper clipping that announced Mr. Weasley had won the Ministry draw and had gone to Egypt to visit Bill. There was a picture in the article of the Weasley family waving up at them in middle of the sunny Egyptian desert with the Great Pyramids behind them. Aside from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who looked absolutely ecstatic, there was Bill, the eldest Weasley child, with his ponytail and rather cool earring; Charlie, the second eldest, looking like he was having the time of his life; Percy with a fez on his head and shiny badge pinned to it. Devyn remembered he had just been made Head Boy for Gryffindor, as he was in his seventh and last year at Hogwarts. Then there were Fred and George, identical twins and master pranksters (rivaled only by the Marauders, although Fred and George probably had no idea who they were - or maybe they did. Either way, they most likely didn't know their real identities at any rate. Moony had told her about the name of his group of friends awhile back and some of the stories of what they got up to. He always avoided saying Black's name if he could...Devyn couldn't blame him, after what he did to Peter Pettigrew).

After the twins came Ron, holding Scabbers and smiling like he couldn't believe this was happening. And then last, the youngest and only female child, Ginny, who beaming like her father, who had his arm around her.

"Egypt!" Harry said in awe. "What's it like?"

"Brilliant!" Ron replied, shifting his hold on Scabbers a little. "Loads of old stuff, like mummies, tombs! Even Scabbers enjoyed himself."

Harry grinned and Hermione said, with a bit of a nasty look on her face and still holding Crookshanks, "You know the Egyptians used to worship cats."

"Yeah," Ron said, "along with the dung beetle."

"Not flashing that clipping about again, are you, Ron?" George said, coming up behind his younger brother. "Oh, hello, Devyn, Neville. Hey, Harry."

"Hey, George."

"I haven't shown anyone," Ron scowled.

"No, not a soul," Fred said a bit sarcastically as he removed the clipping from Ron's presence. "Not unless you count Tom."

"The day maid," George added.

"The night maid," Fred continued.

"The cook," George said.

"That bloke to came to fix the toilet..."

"And that wizard from Belgium!" George finished. Devyn and Neville were both laughing almost to the point of hysterics when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley showed up with Ginny.

Devyn hopped out of her seat when she saw Ginny and immediately hugged the younger girl. She had to admit that because of last year, when Ginny had nearly died, Devyn had become quite attached and a little protective of Ginny.

"Hi, Devyn," Ginny said, hugging her back.

"How was...I mean, how have you been?" Devyn asked. Ginny shrugged and said, "I've been okay. I mean...getting better, you know."

Devyn nodded and said no more. She knew that it was going to take Ginny years to be completely alright again, and even then, she wouldn't be exactly the same as she was before. She never would be.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. Harry stood up and greeted her.

"Good to see you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Good to see you, too!" he replied.

"Now, you've got everything you need?"

"Yep," Harry told her. She smiled and said, "Yes? All of your books?"

"Yeah, it's all upstairs."

"And all of your clothes?"

"Everything's there," he assured her.

"Good boy," she said, patting his cheek. She turned to Devyn and said, "Ah, Devyn dear, good to see you."

Mrs. Weasley was always kind, but Devyn had a distinct feeling that the bright smile she was casting at Devyn had something to do with the fact that she helped to save her only daughter's life the previous year.

"It's good to see you, too," Devyn replied.

"Looking forward to a new term?" Mrs. Weasley said, casting a quick glance in Moony's direction. Devyn grinned and nodded.

"Oh, yeah, should be great. I mean, even with..." she said, looking at a nearby wanted poster of Sirius Black. Mrs. Weasley nodded understandingly.

"Yes. I do hope they catch him soon."

"Did you know him...before...?" Devyn asked. She was very curious about Black for some reason. She wanted to know more about his story.

Mrs. Weasley nodded solemnly and said, "Yes, I did. He was a very funny young man. Always joking around. I never would have believed it of him, even with his family background. I don't know if you know this, I'm sure Remus must have told you...but the Black family was a lot like the Malfoy family. Very dark background, but very powerful...influential. Wealthy...very old family. Every single Black in Hogwarts history had ended up in Slytherin - except for Sirius. Granted, every family has their 'black sheep', so to speak - the Blacks were no exception - they had a few good ones in there. Andromeda Black, now Tonks...Alphard Black...Cedrella Black...they were all disowned from the family. I don't know why Alphard was disowned, but Cedrella was disowned because she married Arthur's father. The Weasley family has been known as blood traitors for generations and when Cedrella married Septimus...well, you can imagine the storm that followed. Cedrella refused to leave Septimus - she loved him - so her family disowned her. Blasted her right off the family tree."

"So...you're related to Sirius Black? Through marriage, I mean," Devyn said.

"Yes. He's something like Arthur's second cousin once removed...I'm not really sure."

"Hm...what about Andromeda? What did she do?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "She married a Muggleborn. Ted Tonks. And you can imagine - if the Blacks were angry about Cedrella marrying a pureblood..."

"They were furious about Andromeda marrying a Muggleborn," Devyn concluded. Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"But Sirius was good...or so we thought. His brother was a..."

"Death Eater, I know. Professor McGonagall told me."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and said, "Yes, well, despite the fact that every other Black was a Slytherin, Sirius was a Gryffindor - you know that already, though - and he swore up and down that he wasn't anything like his family, and he seemed it. There was nothing to suggest that Sirius was ever a supporter of You-Know-Who...but then..."

"Peter Pettigrew and those Muggles."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "It came as a real shock. I mean, in those days, you really couldn't trust anyone - everyone was suspicious of everyone, but I don't think anyone thought that Sirius would _ever_...well, you know."

Devyn nodded and said, "I know he was friends with my dad...but he was already dead by the time that happened, wasn't he?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded sadly. "Your father was a wonderful person, Devyn. As was your mother."

"I know. Well, I mean, I've heard... but do you think that maybe...maybe my parents' deaths unhinged Sirius? Maybe he lost his mind, and that's why he killed Peter, and those Muggles?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her, but there was pity buried in it somewhere. "No, my dear. Well, I suppose your parents' murders didn't help matters, but I know for fact that's not why Sirius killed Peter and those Muggles."

"Why did he then?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "It's not my place to tell you. There are things you don't know...things that we, meaning Remus and the rest of us, don't want you to know. You've had to deal with so much already. It's for your own protection."

Devyn nodded but she was disgruntled. She didn't need other people telling her what was good for her. She knew herself and what she could handle. What could be so _**bad**_ about Black that they couldn't tell her? Did it have anything to do with her parents' deaths? But no...that didn't make sense. Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov were responsible for that.

However, she was right...there **was** something more to Black's story. Something that the others didn't want her (and possibly her friends) to know. Something that had to do with Black's escape, perhaps?

But _what?_

* * *

**Okay, there we go. Second chapter down. Devyn's already suspicious about Sirius and his escape. She knows something is up, but don't worry. She won't be so speedy about figuring it out this time. I know a couple people had some problems with the fact that she figured the Basilisk thing out but didn't tell anyone. Anyway, we'll just have to see how it goes. I don't write these before I type them, so they just come in a sort of 'stream of consciousness' kind of way. I know where I want it to go, it's just getting there that's the challenge.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading. Please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 3**

"Oi, Devyn! Wake up!"

Devyn jerked awake at the sound of Neville's voice. She blinked a couple times and then rolled over to look up at Neville, who was poking his head in her room. He grinned when he saw her hair sticking up everywhere.

"It's time to get up. We've got to catch the train in a bit."

Devyn yawned widely before saying, "How long is 'a bit'?"

Neville shrugged. "About an hour and a half. So, come on, get up."

Devyn sighed and dragged herself out of bed. Neville had walked away before she actually got out of bed. He had stayed the night last night, because he would be going to King's Cross Station with her and Moony.

As Devyn splashed some water on her face to wake herself up, she thought about what the year was going to be like. Moony was going to be the new DADA teacher, which was brilliant, but she was worried about his transformations, even if he was to be aided by this 'recently discovered' Wolfsbane Potion. It wasn't the potion that had her worried – it was Snape. He wasn't really the most trustworthy of people (or so it seemed to her), and when concerning something as delicate as Moony's condition and the secret nature of his condition, no one could be fully trusted.

She hopped in the shower and when she was done, she dried her hair and tried to get it done quickly. She wanted to have some extra time to make sure that she had everything. Luckily, she had her hair cut again over the summer, so it was really short and didn't take that long to dry. She walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen area where Moony was downing what was probably his third or fourth cup of coffee, and Neville was munching on some cereal.

Moony smiled tiredly at her from across the table and Devyn grinned right back.

"Are you both all packed up?" Moony asked them. Devyn nodded and said, "More or less. Just have to do a last check to make sure."

Moony nodded and said, "Good. Well, after you're done eating, I want you both to make sure that you check over _everything_. Okay? Oh, and Neville, as far as your Hogsmeade permission form is concerned-"

"Oh, no! I knew I'd forgotten something. Where did I put it?" Neville wailed. Devyn tried not to smile and Moony said, "Calm down, Neville. I was going to say that your grandmother already sent it ahead to Professor McGonagall, so there was no chance of you losing it."

Neville relaxed at once and said, "Oh, good. Wouldn't want to lose that…"

"Nope," Devyn replied. She was really looking forward to the Hogsmeade visits.

"What are you looking forward to the most about Hogsmeade?" Moony asked them. Devyn grinned and said, "Honeydukes."

Moony grinned when Neville nodded his agreement and he said, "Ah, yes, Honeydukes. Many sugar rushes stemmed from that place, as well as many good memories."

With that, Moony downed the rest of his coffee and seemed to be lost in reminiscences about his Hogwarts days. Devyn figured he must be having a hard time with Black's escape from Azkaban, considering that he had been a friend of Moony's.

"You know, I'm really looking forward to seeing it again. Honeydukes, I mean," Moony said. Neville frowned and said, "What do you mean? Are you going to be in Hogsmeade?"

Moony snapped out of his memories and looked at Neville. "Ah, well, it seems I may have let the cat out of the bag…Devyn, why don't you tell him?"

Neville cast his gaze on Devyn, who felt her heart beat a little irregularly, and she said, "Well, Moony is going to be teaching Defense this year."

Neville's eyes went wide and he said, "Really? That's great news! You'll be brilliant, Mr. Lupin!"

"Yes, I hope so. Although, by the sounds of it, I can't really be worse than Quirrell or Lockhart, now can I?"

Neville and Devyn looked at one another and said in unison, "No."

They laughed and Devyn said, "I don't think anyone can be worse than Lockhart. I wonder what happened to him…"

Neville shrugged and said, "I dunno. He got what he deserved though."

Devyn nodded and said, "Yes, that he did. Come on, let's go finish up packing."

"Okay."

Half an hour later they were ready to go.

"Ready to go back?" Devyn asked Neville. Neville grinned and said, "Oh, I think so."

With that, Devyn linked her arm with Neville's and they both dragged their trunks out into the living room, where Moony was waiting for them.

"Ready to go then?" Moony asked them. Devyn nodded and Moony shrunk down their trunks and Neville pocketed his while Moony insisted on taking Devyn's. She didn't really see what the big deal was, seeing as it was about the size of a packet of pocket tissues, and probably now the same weight, but she didn't question it.

Neville took Trevor, his toad, who was currently sitting in a wooden cage, in his hand and walked out of the house, Moony and Devyn following behind. Once they made it to the Apparition point, Neville and Devyn both took hold of Moony's arms and braced themselves for the rather uncomfortable means of travel.

Despite the sensation only lasted for a couple seconds, those couple seconds felt like the longest in history, simply because in those couple seconds, it felt like you were being forced through a tube meant for mice.

Once they landed in a darkened alley outside of King's Cross Station, Devyn took a deep breath of fresh air.

"You alright, Devyn?" Neville asked, trying to dispel his own slight nausea. Devyn nodded and asked the same of him.

"Yeah," Neville replied. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"God, I hate Apparating," Devyn commented, her nausea finally going away. Moony chuckled and said, "You get used to it."

"I don't think I want to," Neville said. Moony chuckled again as Devyn nodded her agreement and said, "Hear, hear."

"Alright you two, let's go. Its ten minutes of eleven. Train will be leaving soon."

Devyn and Neville nodded and they walked out of the alley onto the street in front of King's Cross. The large arches stood before them and Devyn felt a thrill run through her when she thought of Hogwarts, with its confusing staircases, and magnificent creatures. She thought of Nearly Headless Nick, and Hagrid, and the Gryffindor common room with its warm colors and roaring fires.

She couldn't wait to go back. And now it would only be a couple hours until she walked through those halls again.

They walked through King's Cross rather briskly, which caused the different platforms to pass by in colorful blurs. Devyn grabbed onto Neville's hand so she wouldn't lose him in the crowd and felt her heartbeat kick up a few notches when she did.

_Oh, not this again. He's my best friend. I can't feel this way about him._

It was the fact that Snow's voice was absent from her thoughts that made her think about what she had just told herself. Was it really so bad that she liked Neville as more than a friend? They'd known each other for pretty much their entire lives, whether they realized it or not. They'd been friends for three years now. Devyn could hardly imagine her life without him now.

Although, that was part of the reason she was so against acknowledging that she liked Neville in that way. Because what if…what if Neville happened to like her back, and they ended up dating? What if things went south? What if their friendship was ruined because of it?

For maybe the millionth time, she reminded herself that she'd rather have Neville in her life as a friend only, than not at all. Losing Neville was not something she was willing to risk.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she realized that they were nearing the column between platforms 9 and 10: the entrance to Platform 9 ¾.

"Right," Moony said, looking around at them. "Devyn, you go first. Then Neville and I will follow."

Devyn nodded and casually walked up to the column and leant up against it. Within seconds, she had melted through the barrier and found herself on the other side, looking at the beautiful scarlet steam engine, that had the words "**HOGWARTS EXPRESS**" emblazoned on the front.

"Hey, Devyn!"

Devyn looked around and saw Seamus passing by with his mother. He waved cheerily and smiled at her. Devyn waved back with a smile of her own. She liked Seamus well enough, but there was something about him that didn't seem entirely right to her.

She had noticed that in past years, whenever she happened to be looking another way, Seamus was watching her, or staring at her. At first she just ignored it, but now that she was becoming more aware of "crushes" and whatnot, she wondered if it wasn't because Seamus had a bit of a crush on her.

If that was the case, Devyn wasn't sure what to make of it. Yes, she liked Seamus, but she didn't _like _him. Not like that. Hopefully his crush, if it even existed, would fade away.

Luckily, she didn't have to think about Seamus anymore because Moony and Neville had just come through the barrier. Once Devyn saw Neville's easygoing (if slightly awkward) smile, all her conflicting thoughts disappeared from her mind.

"Shall we, then?" Moony said, looking at the two of them. They nodded and moved toward the train. After they handed off their re-grown luggage to the usual person and made their way to the door of the train that would lead them to the compartments within.

"Alright, you two go find a compartment and I'll do the same."

Devyn and Neville both gave Moony a look and Devyn said, "Moony. You don't have to banish yourself. You can sit with us, if you want to. If you wouldn't be embarrassed to sit with a group of teenagers."

Moony laughed and said, "You wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with an old man?"

Neville rolled his eyes and Devyn said, "Moony, for the love of Merlin, you're not an old man. You're only 32! Now come on, the train will be leaving soon."

Devyn and Neville walked off and Moony followed behind. Remus knew that Devyn hadn't the foggiest idea how happy she just made him, but he was delighted that she wasn't to the age yet where she was embarrassed to be around him.

However, he knew that soon enough, she wouldn't need him anymore. He could already see it happening, especially when she looked at Neville a certain way. And he'd look at her the same way when they both thought no one else was watching. It was adorable, really, but Remus couldn't help but feel a blazing protectiveness rising up in him when he saw Neville look at her.

Nothing else could be expected of him, he thought, but he also wondered when they would both wake up and figure it out. Remus hoped that it wouldn't be for a couple more years at least, but with the way they looked at each other, he figured it wouldn't be very long now.

* * *

Devyn and Neville were entertaining themselves with a game of Exploding Snap while Moony was fast asleep, just as the train started moving. Devyn knew that the full moon had really drained him this time around, and he needed to catch up on his sleep.

Neville had worried that the noise brought on by the game of Exploding Snap would wake him up, but Devyn had quickly put a stop to his worries. "Moony is a really heavy sleeper when he's this tired. He wouldn't wake up if an elephant came through here."

Neville nodded and now they were on their fourth game of Exploding Snap. Suddenly the compartment door opened and Devyn looked up. She smiled when she saw it was Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hey, guys," Devyn said, looking back down at her and Neville's game.

"Hello, Devyn. Hey Neville," Hermione said taking a seat next to Devyn.

"Who do you think that is?" Ron asked, looking at Moony. Devyn tried to stifle a laugh. Ron didn't recognize him because Moony had his cloak pulled up and it was covering his face slightly.

"Professor R.J. Lupin," Hermione said, an official tone in her voice. "What does the 'J' stand for, Devyn?"

"John," Devyn replied.

"Oh, that's your godfather?" Ron asked, peering a little closer. "But what's he doing on the train?"

"My lips are sealed, Ron. You'll have to wait and find out like everyone else," Devyn said. Neville smirked at her and Ron huffed.

"Fine. Be that way," Ron said. Devyn nodded and said, "I will, thanks."

Hermione leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Is he the new Defense teacher then?"

Devyn winked at Hermione in reply. She smiled and turned to Harry when he said, "Do you think he's really asleep?"

"Yeah," Devyn said.

"Seems to be," Hermione answered. "Why?"

Harry stood up and closed the door to the compartment, saying, "I've got to tell you something."

Devyn and Neville quickly ended their game and put the cards away, looking at Harry expectantly. They both could hear the nervousness in his voice, so they knew he wasn't kidding around.

Harry sat back down and said, "Okay…so you all know about Sirius Black, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Neville answered. "Everyone knows about him. He's Azkaban's most famous prisoner – well, I suppose he's Azkaban's most famous fugitive now."

"You mean, Azkaban's only fugitive. No one else has ever escaped from that place," Devyn said. Neville nodded and Harry said, "Yeah, well, anyway…that day at the Leaky Cauldron…Ron, your dad told me something that he probably shouldn't have. But I'm glad he did…"

"What?" Ron asked.

Harry took a deep breath and said, "He told me that I'm in danger. _Grave _danger, apparently."

"Oh no…and I was hoping for a quiet term this year…" Hermione said, stroking Crookshanks, who was sitting on the seat next to her. Devyn had briefly worried about Scabbers, who was in Ron's hand, but Crookshanks didn't seem to be interested at the moment. Devyn cracked a slight smile at Hermione's comment, but she was more interested in hearing what Harry had to say.

Harry nodded and said, "Yeah, he also said that the Ministry didn't want me to know what he was going to tell me, but he thought that I needed to know the facts."

"Which are…?" Neville prompted. Devyn looked at him, glad that he said that. So far, Harry had just been going round in circles, never actually saying what Mr. Weasley had told him.

"I asked him if my being in danger had anything to do with Black, and he asked me what I knew about him. I told him that I only knew that he escaped from Azkaban. I'd never even heard of him before then. He asked me if I knew why he escaped, but I didn't. How could I? I suppose only he knows that…but anyway, Mr. Weasley told me that thirteen years ago, when I stopped Voldemort, he had plenty of followers. Hundreds of them, and Black was one of them."

They all nodded. They already knew this bit, although Devyn seemed to be the only one who knew that Black had been friends with both Harry's dad, and her dad…and Moony, who was probably eavesdropping on the conversation as they spoke. Devyn looked at him and saw that he was still passed out cold. She directed her attention back to Harry, who said, "Well, apparently, Black was his right hand man, and lost everything when Voldemort was destroyed…well, he lost it and went and murdered those Muggles and Pettigrew and got himself arrested…"

"Yeah," Devyn said.

"Well, anyway, Black remains, to this day, a faithful servant of Voldemort, and he thinks that there's only one thing standing in the way of Voldemort returning to power."

"He's insane," Ron commented.

"What does he think stands in the way?" Neville asked, but Devyn had already figured it out.

"You," she said to Harry. "He thinks _you_ stand in the way of Voldemort returning to power."

Harry nodded and said, "That's why he's escaped from Azkaban. To find me… to kill me."

Silence descended upon the entire compartment and the only sound that could be heard was Moony's deep and relaxed breathing.

"Let me get this straight," Ron said, thankfully breaking the deep silence. "Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban to come after you?"

"Yeah," Harry said. Ron sighed and sat back heavily in his seat and Hermione said, "But they'll catch Black, won't they? I mean, everyone's looking for him…"

Ron frowned at Hermione and said, "Sure…"

"Except, no one's ever broken out of Azkaban before…" Neville commented.

"And he's a murderous, raving lunatic," Ron finished.

"Thanks, Ron," Harry deadpanned. Ron shrugged in response.

_**SCREECH!**_

The train suddenly starting halting and the brakes screamed in protest.

"Why are we stopping?" Hermione said, looking confused and nervous. "We can't be there yet."

Harry stood up and leaned out of the compartment to look out into the train corridors. Devyn wasn't entirely sure what he was hoping to find, but she didn't ask. She, too, was a little preoccupied with the fact that they had just stopped.

Harry was suddenly thrown back away from the door, back into his own seat when the train rocked to the side violently.

"What's going on?!" Ron exclaimed. Neville shrugged and looked at Devyn, who was just as clueless.

"I don't know. Maybe we've broken down," Harry said.

Hermione and Devyn didn't even have time to explain that the Hogwarts Express couldn't break down, as it was run by magic in addition to a conductor, instead of just the conductor alone. That way, even if something happened to the conductor, the train wouldn't run off the tracks.

The only reason they didn't have the time to explain this was because the lights flickered out, plunging the entire compartment into darkness. Ron shifted over to the window, apparently stepping on Hermione's foot in the process, because she said, "Ouch, Ron! That was my foot!"

Ron ignored her and placed a hand on the window as the lights flickered back on. "There's something moving out there," he said. Devyn and Neville looked at each other and she could see the fear in his eyes. She grabbed his hand to reassure him as the lights went off again.

"I think…someone's coming aboard," Ron said in a small voice. Devyn felt Neville's grip tighten around her hand and she moved from her seat across him and sat next to him. She was now in between Harry and Neville. Even in the darkness, she could see him smile at her.

Everyone gasped in surprise when the train jolted again and the compartment door opened and shut again. It hadn't been locked, so this wasn't much cause for concern.

What did worry Devyn a little was that they could see their breath in the gloom. That shouldn't have been possible. It was only September for one thing, and the train was usually warm anyway. Something was plunging the train into freezing temperatures.

Just, then the window iced over slowly around Ron's hand, as did the rest of the glass in the compartment, and the temperature dropped even more. Devyn shuddered and felt Neville pull her closer. Her heartbeat increased again, but she thought that also may have been because of the unknown situation they found themselves in.

The train jolted yet again, although this time was definitely the most violent.

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled. "What's happening?!"

Unfortunately, they got their answer rather quickly. Outside of their compartment, gliding down the corridor, was an enormous creature. It reached out a skeletal hand and turned the compartment door handle without touching it. Devyn could only see its hand and a lot of black fabric that seemed to be torn to shreds. It was a ghostly effect and not the good kind, like Nearly Headless Nick. It scared her beyond the capacity for rational thought.

As it entered the compartment, Devyn first thought was to wake up Moony, but no sooner did she try, did they hear an awful noise, not unlike a death rattle that froze them where they were. Devyn couldn't think; she couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She felt this heavy weight pressing on her heart, making her breath stop short. Before her eyes flashed the image of Quirrell, Voldemort protruding from the back of his head; the sight of him strangling Harry just before her vision went black; the image of the blinded Basilisk, inches away from her and Harry, its foot long fangs about a second away from piercing her throat; the sight of Harry pulling a Basilisk fang from his arm, his breath going short.

Her worst memories were flashing before her eyes and she couldn't escape them. They just kept coming.

Hermione moved slightly away as it got closer to them and Crookshanks hissed angrily. Scabbers retreated into Ron's jacket. It looked around the compartment and came to rest its cloaked gaze on Harry.

Harry seized up when the creature started sucking something from Harry. Something was visibly being sucked out of Harry, although it was sort of transparent.

"What the hell is that?" Neville whispered. Devyn shook her head.

"I don't know…" Devyn whispered back. She didn't even marvel at the fact that she had regained the ability to speak because she was so frightened of this thing in front of her.

What was it doing to Harry?

Just as it seemed Harry couldn't take anymore, from beside her, Moony shot up like an arrow and in an instant cast a silent spell at the creature. It was a shield of the brightest white light imaginable and it drove the terrifying thing away from them.

As soon as it was gone, Devyn's breath returned to her, the weight on her heart gone, and she could move again. She looked down and saw that she was holding onto Neville's hand so tightly that her knuckles were bone white. She let his hand go and he looked at her, shaking visibly.

"Oh my god! Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. Everyone's attention turned to Harry, who was no longer in his seat. He was passed out on the floor, pale as death itself.

Devyn and Hermione knelt down beside him and started shaking him, trying to wake him up. After a minute or so, Harry came round, blinking in confusion.

"Harry!" Devyn exclaimed.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked, as he sat up. She handed him his glasses and he said, "Thank you."

Devyn helped Harry back into his seat and Moony immediately handed him a piece of chocolate.

"Here, eat this. It'll help," Moony told him. When Harry hesitated, Moony said, "It's alright, it's chocolate."

Moony turned to the rest of them and handed them pieces of chocolate too. Devyn nibbled on her piece at first, but then, when she realized that the warmth was returning to her body, she nearly swallowed the piece whole. She instantly felt better.

Chocolate had a funny way of doing that; making people feel better.

"Are you alright?" Moony asked quietly, looking at her with concern. She nodded.

"I'm fine, Moony. What was that?" she said, equally as quietly.

"**That** was a Dementor," he whispered to her. Her eyes widened and Moony turned to face Harry when he said, "What was that thing…that came?"

"It was a Dementor, one of the guards of Azkaban. It's gone now. It was searching the train for Sirius Black," Moony told him. "If you'll excuse me, I need to have a little word with the driver."

He had noticed that Harry still hadn't eaten his piece of chocolate, so Moony smiled and said, "Eat, you'll feel better."

And then he was gone. Harry munched on the chocolate, looking pensive.

"Handy in a crisis, your godfather," Ron said as he ate his piece of chocolate. "I'll give him that."

Devyn merely nodded. Her mind was reeling. That _thing_ was a Dementor? No wonder Moony had been so frightened when he mentioned them. He had been right; no word could describe the feeling that it brought to a person.

"Devyn, are you okay?" Neville asked.

She nodded and shrugged at the same time. "I-I…don't know. I think so…I just…"

"I know," Neville said, putting a shaky arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "I know."

Devyn nodded and said no more.

"What happened to me?" Harry asked them. Devyn shook the residual feeling from the Dementor off and smiled at Neville as Ron said, "Well, you sort of went rigid. We thought maybe you were having a fit or something."

"And…" Harry said. "And did any of you…? You know…pass out?"

"No," Ron answered. "I felt weird though. Like I'd never be cheerful again."

Devyn nodded. That was the exact feeling she had had. She hadn't been able to name until Ron had just voiced his own experience.

"But someone was screaming. A woman," Harry said. The four of them looked at him concernedly and Hermione said, "No one was screaming, Harry."

Ron shook his head and Harry looked like he wished he hadn't said anything. But that got Devyn thinking. She had seen her worst memories. She relived them. What if the same thing happened to Harry?

But why would his worst memory be of a woman screaming? Unless…unless he remembered…his mum. Lily. His worst memory was the night she died. That had to be it. Devyn was about to ask Harry if he thought that's what he heard, when she caught the look on his face and thought better of it.

He already knew. He knew exactly who had been screaming.

That worried her more than anything.


	4. Chapter 4

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 4**

The rest of the train ride passed in mostly silence, although when Moony came back, they got to talking about what the year would entail. Ron tried to ask Moony what he was doing on the train, but he only smiled and gave him the same answer Devyn did.

About half an hour after the Dementor incident, Fred and George found their way into their cabin and asked if they were all right. They had been rather surprised to see Moony, but they didn't question it. They were smart boys anyway – they'd probably already figured it out, but it wasn't hard to do.

After Fred and George left to go check on Ginny, wherever she was, quiet fell once more as Hermione pulled out a book to read, Harry stared off into the distance, brooding over something, Ron was eating his way through a small pile of Chocolate Frogs, and Neville and Devyn picked up their Exploding Snap game.

Usually, they were all very talkative on the train, but the Dementor really spooked them all, and Devyn was growing more and more concerned about Harry. However, should anything happen this year, there were plenty of people who he could go to. He could go talk to Dumbledore, McGonagall, maybe even Moony if he felt like it. And if he didn't want to talk to them, he knew he could always come to her, right?

As the train screeched to a halt a second time and the sounds of students disembarking were heard, Devyn felt an enormous warmth encompass her that had nothing to do with the chocolate Moony had given her, although that had been very delicious.

"Now, remember," Moony said to her, looking serious. "You'll have to be careful not to call me 'Moony' when we're in class. It's Professor Lupin now. Okay?"

Devyn tried not to laugh at Moony's serious face, but she found it very hard to do. She nodded and Moony ruffled her hair playfully. "Stop laughing. It's not funny. You can call me Moony when it's just you and me, or when Harry and the other are around, but when we're in class…"

"I've got it, Moony. Really," Devyn replied, still grinning. He raised an eyebrow and Devyn rolled her eyes. "I've got it, Professor Lupin."

Moony smiled and said, "All right. Now go on. You've got to catch a carriage, don't you?"

Devyn nodded and followed Neville and the others off the train. Once they stepped onto the platform in Hogsmeade, they immediately listened for the familiar voice they all knew.

It was only seconds before they heard it.

"FIRS' YEARS THIS WAY! COME ON NOW!"

Hagrid's voice was easily heard above all of the others and the five of them waded through the crowd of students to get over to him.

"Hey, Hagrid!" Harry called. Hagrid looked down and smiled at them through his beard.

"Ah, there's me favorite students. How was yer summers?" Hagrid asked.

"Good," they all answered, smiling up at their eight foot plus friend. Hagrid nodded and said, "Tha's good. Well, you five had best be grabbin' a carriage, before you hafta end up with someone you don't like." He winked and nodded in the direction of the horseless carriages that had taken them up to the school last year (with the exception of Harry and Ron).

They nodded and went on their way, occasionally pointing Hagrid out to first years that were having trouble getting through the crowd. Devyn noticed that they seemed a lot smaller than she had been when she was a first year. However, she realized that was probably only because she had grown quite a bit over the summer. She wasn't as tall as Neville, but she was taller than Hermione (which she hadn't been last year), so that proved she was growing.

Luckily, as they reached a carriage and Devyn pulled the door open, it was empty. Last year had been a little annoying because they had had to share a carriage with Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Parvati had been perfectly fine, but the entire ride had consisted of Lavender and Hermione drooling over the thought of having Gilderoy Lockhart as their teacher, while Neville, Devyn, and Parvati rolled their eyes continuously.

This year, however, was much better; Gilderoy Lockhart wasn't mentioned once. Within ten minutes, they had reached the massive castle known as Hogwarts. This was the part that Devyn loved the most. Just when you got back to Hogwarts, and you saw that castle again, you realized how much you really missed it, and how happy you are to see it again.

They got out of the carriage and made sure they had everything with them. They walked up to the main doors, pushing past a few people to get there. Devyn was so focused on just getting inside the castle that she even pushed past Malfoy, not even paying him any attention when he made some crack about her and Neville.

_He can think what he wants. I'm too happy to be bothered by him right now_, Devyn thought. She thought that was a rather good advancement on her part. Ignoring Draco Malfoy had been, in the past years, close to impossible, but she suddenly found that it was getting easier. Malfoy had been making the same jokes and cracks about her and her friends for three years now; what he was saying simply didn't bother her anymore.

As she entered the Great Hall with her friends, she saw Professor Flitwick gathering students as he spotted them. It took Devyn a moment to realize that these students were in the choir that Flitwick put together.

"Oh, is the Frog Choir performing tonight?" Hermione asked aloud, when she realized what Flitwick was doing. Devyn shrugged and said, "They must be."

They amused themselves for a bit watching Flitwick amass different students, and then send those students off to find other members, but eventually other Gryffindors in their year started showing up, so they got to talking with them.

Seamus and Dean showed up shortly after Devyn, Neville, and the others did, and Seamus took the seat directly opposite Devyn. Neville narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't say anything. Seamus either didn't notice this, or ignored it.

Seamus smiled at her and said, "So, Devyn how was your summer?"

Even Dean raised an eyebrow at his friend's tone of voice. It was light, but somewhat meaningful. Devyn genuinely didn't know what to make of it. She shrugged and said, "It was good. Neville and I hung out a lot over the summer."

Seamus looked slightly jealous for a second and Neville smiled (somewhat triumphantly) at Seamus. Devyn caught Parvati's eye, who had just sat down next to Dean. She merely shrugged.

"How was your summer, Seamus?" Devyn said, trying to be polite.

"Oh, you know…fine. So…excited to go to Hogsmeade this year?"

Devyn nodded and Seamus grinned. "I was wondering, whenever the first trip is, would you want –"

Whatever Seamus was going to say (and Devyn had a pretty good idea what it was) was interrupted by McGonagall announcing that Flitwick and the Frog Choir was about to perform, so they had to quiet down.

_Thank you, McGonagall,_ Devyn thought in relief. Also, it was probably a good thing that Seamus didn't finish what he was going to say because Neville's face had been growing darker and darker with every syllable that Seamus uttered. It wasn't that she didn't like Seamus….he was nice enough, but she just wasn't interested in him.

She was interested in someone else.

_**And by 'someone else , you mean Neville.**_

Snow's voice echoed in her head and she internally growled at her.

_**Oh, relax, Devyn. You know it's true. **_

_Shut up. _

_**You think you may be able to hide it from everyone else, but you can't lie to yourself, Devyn. You and I are one in the same, remember?**_

_Look, we've had this conversation before. Having Neville as a friend –_

_**-is better than not having him at all. Yeah, I know. But still. I wish you could see the way you two act. Everyone else can see it. Neville likes you. You like him. Get it over with, already! **_

_Snow…stay out of it._

_**But –**_

_Please. _

_**Fine, fine. Just remember, you can't fool me.**_

With that, Snow's voice vanished from her mind and went back into the little corner that she usually inhabited. She turned her attention towards the Frog Choir, which included students from all years second and up, from all houses, each of which was holding a very large toad.

Devyn found it odd that they were holding toads and it was called the _Frog_ Choir, but she didn't think too much on it. After all, Frog Choir does sound better than Toad Choir.

Professor Flitwick, who was standing in front of the students, held up his wand and started conducting. Within seconds the students started singing:

_In the cauldron boil and bake_

_Fillet of a fenny snake_

_Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf_

_Witch's mummy, maw and gulf_

_Double, double, toil and trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble_

_Double, double, toil and trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble_

_Double, double, toil and trouble_

_Fire burn and cauldron bubble_

_Something wicked this way comes!_

The entire Great Hall burst into applause when the Frog Choir was finished, and the toad right in the middle gave a rather loud croak. Flitwick took a bow and moved off to the side as the students dispersed back to their own tables. Once every student was seated and Flitwick had taken his seat up at the Head Table, Dumbledore stood up for his Welcoming speech.

He approached the podium with the owl on it and his light blue robes swished this way and that as he walked.

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Now, I'd like to say a few words before we all become too befuddled by our excellent feast. First, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who's kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor!"

Moony stood up and bowed modestly while Devyn, Harry, Hermione, Neville, and all of the Weasleys cheered so loudly that they may have deafened those around them. The rest of the Gryffindors applauded politely, as did the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs, but the Slytherins were being apathetic with their applause.

"Of course!" Hermione said, looking at Harry, who was smiling at Moony. "That's why he knew to give you the chocolate, Harry."

"I honestly can't believe I didn't figure it out that Professor Lupin was the DADA teacher this year," Ron said, looking stunned. "I mean, what other opening was there?"

The rest of them just laughed jokingly at Ron, who was looking perplexed with himself. However, he had no time to ponder the inner workings of his own mind because Malfoy, who had finally realized that slicking his hair back wasn't a good look, leaned across the gap between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables and said, "Potter…Potter!"

When Harry turned around to look at Malfoy, he smirked and said, "Is it true you fainted?"

Hermione, Ron, Devyn, and Neville all adopted annoyed expressions and Devyn cast a threatening glare at the Slytherins when one of them mock-fainted. Malfoy laughed at his housemate and said, "I mean, you actually fainted?"

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron said, turning Harry back around by pushing his shoulder. Harry ground his teeth and said, "How did he find out?"

"Just forget it," Hermione said. Fred leaned over towards Harry and said, "Don't worry about Malfoy, Harry."

George also leaned over and said, "Yeah, ignore him. He wasn't so brave when he came running into our compartment, was he, Fred?"

"Nah, he was nearly messing his pants, he was."

The seven of them shared a brief laugh over the mental image of Malfoy running scared right into the compartment of the Weasley twins. After that, they turned their attention back to their Headmaster.

"As some of you may know, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs," Dumbledore told them. A few students looked mildly put out at the fact that Kettleburn wouldn't be teaching them, but the rest of the students looked curious as to who would be replacing him.

"Fortunately, I am delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other than our own…Rubeus Hagrid!"

The second Hagrid's name left Dumbledore's mouth, and McGonagall nudged Hagrid to stand up (which he did, beaming shyly) the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs all cheered as loud as Devyn had for Moony. Once again the Slytherins were being lazy and rude. Hermione whooped and Seamus whistled through his fingers and Dean had to force him to sit down again.

Once the noise had quieted down, Dumbledore continued, "Finally on a more disquieting note, at the request of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban, until such a time as Sirius Black is captured."

If there was any side-chattering going on, all of it ceased when Dumbledore mentioned the Dementors – you could have heard a pin drop.

"The Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds. Now, whilst I've been assured that their presence will not disrupt our day to day activities, a word of caution…Dementors are vicious creatures. They'll not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one that gets in their way."

_Yeah, I know, _Devyn thought, glancing at Harry. He was still looking peaky, although the chocolate had returned most of his color. _Thank Merlin for Moony._

"Therefore," Dumbledore continued, "I must warn each and every one of you: give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving. But, you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times…if only one remembers to turn on the light."

On that note, Dumbledore finished his speech and the feast began. Devyn kept thinking about the Dementors and Sirius Black. And what Black had to do with Harry? Yes, according to Mr. Weasley, Black escaped from Azkaban to go after Harry, because Harry defeated Voldemort. But there was something else. Something in that story just didn't add up. But what?

"You all right, Devyn?" Neville asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked at him. "You've barely eaten."

She smiled at Neville and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Well, stop thinking for a minute and start eating. What are you thinking about?"

"Things. Just…things."

Neville gave her a look. "We discussed this last year. No more secrets. Now, seriously, what are you thinking about?"

Devyn blinked as she chewed a piece of delicious steak before saying quietly, "Honestly…Black. And the Dementors. And Harry. Something about this whole story doesn't make sense. I just don't know what."

Neville looked at her with empathy in his eyes. "I get it. Just…try not to worry too much. The odds of Black actually getting to Harry are not Black's favor, especially with the Dementors around."

"Yeah…yeah, I suppose you're right."

And the horrible thing was, she wanted to believe in what Neville was saying to her, she wanted to _**so desperately**_, but…something in her was telling her that wasn't true. She didn't want Harry to be in danger of becoming the prey of a mad mass murderer, but that sort of thing just happened to Harry. He didn't go looking for danger, danger usually found him.

But there was still that nagging suspicion that there was something that everyone was keeping from her, and more importantly, Harry. What, though?


	5. Chapter 5

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 5**

By the time the feast was over, Devyn was so sleepy that she could barely think about where her feet were going, never mind anything else. It was honestly a relief because she had been thinking endlessly about Black and worrying about Harry, so now that her mind was so tired and groggy, she finally knew some peace.

She, along with all the other Gryffindors, trudged up the stairs that eventually led to Gryffindor Tower. Like always, Neville accidentally put his foot through the trick stair and Devyn had to haul him back up.

"Thanks," he said, grinning sheepishly. "I don't know why I can't remember where it is…"

Devyn yawned and shrugged. "All the stairs look the same to me. I don't know how anyone can remember where it is. They should try and fix that…someone might fall right through one of these days."

Neville nodded his agreement but any response he might have had was drowned out by a familiar and overly enthusiastic, strangely alert voice.

"Hi, Devyn! Hi! Did you have a nice summer? Oh, you cut your hair!"

Devyn turned to look at the person that was talking to her, but as soon as she did, she was blinded by the flash of a camera.

"Hello, Colin. Yeah, my summer was fine," Devyn said, blinking furiously in order to get her vision back. When the spots that were dancing in front of her eyes cleared enough for her to see Colin, she noticed he was grinning almost maniacally.

"Er…how was your summer?" she asked him. Neville was waiting along the side of the staircase for her to finish talking with Colin, but knowing the now second year, that might not be until next week.

"Oh, it was great. I told my dad everything about Hogwarts. He was so fascinated by it. I'm so happy that we're back. I can't wait to start classes, can you?"

Colin said all of that very fast and Devyn's hazy mind was sprinting to catch up. When she realized what Colin had asked her, she said, "Oh, er yeah. I mean, I'm excited too. Er…I'll talk to you later Colin. Lots of staircases left before we get to Gryffindor Tower and I'm really tired, so…"

"Right! See you, Devyn!"

Devyn smiled and promptly walked away with Neville.

"He's a bit hyper, isn't he?" Neville asked. Devyn nodded. "What's with the camera?"

Devyn shrugged and said, "He likes taking pictures and blinding people at the same time, I guess."

Neville chuckled and then brought up something that Devyn really wished he hadn't.

"So what was Seamus trying to ask you before?"

"Huh?" Devyn hoped playing stupid would help her in this situation, but being the pessimist she was, she doubted it.

"Seamus; he was trying to ask you something earlier. Do you know what he was trying to ask you?"

Devyn sighed and said, "You were there, Nev. You heard him."

"Yeah, I suppose. I imagine he was gonna ask you to go to Hogsmeade with him. Like on a date…"

Devyn could tell by Neville's tone that he was trying very hard to keep his voice even, but it wasn't entirely working. Devyn sighed again and said, "Yeah, I think so, too."

"What would you have said?" Neville pried. Devyn glanced at him and he looked like he was steeling himself for some horrible news.

_He thinks I'm going to say that I would go with Seamus. He thinks I'm going to say that I would have said yes. _

_**Well, what do you expect? **_Snow told her. _**Neville's never had the greatest amount of confidence and Seamus is pretty confident. Can you really blame him for thinking that you'd be interested in going with Seamus?**_

_Oh, come on, Snow. Neville knows better than that. Doesn't he?_

_**How should I know? I'm in your head, not his…**_

_Your sass is not appreciated right now Snow._

_**Stop yapping with me then and talk to Neville!**_

Snow's voice faded and Devyn turned to Neville and said, "No. I would have said no."

Neville stopped walking for a second and then blinked a couple times like he didn't understand what she just said.

"Hold on. What?"

"I would have said no, Neville. I don't like Seamus. Not like that anyway. As a friend, sure, but not anything more than that."

"Oh," Neville said, as he started walking again. She noticed that he had a new spring in his step and that he was trying not to grin like a Cheshire Cat. "Okay."

"Why are you asking?"

Neville shrugged and said, "Just curious."

"Uh-huh." Devyn grinned and Neville put his arm around her shoulders as they walked up the rest of the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. Devyn wrapped her arm around his waist and they walked like that until they reached a bit of a buildup in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.

She was currently trying to either deafen the entire castle, or shatter the wine glass she held in her hand with her voice. Either was likely, but the whole deafening thing was more likely.

"_Fortuna Major,_" Seamus said. The Fat Lady ignored him and he turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and said, "Here, listen. She just won't let me in."

Harry stepped up in front of the portrait and said, "_Fortuna Major._"

"No, no, no, wait!" The Fat Lady told him. "Watch this! Ahaahahahaha – **AAHHHH!**" Evidently she realized that her voice was not going to break the glass, so she smashed it on the wall behind her, trying to be discreet about it but failing miserably.

"Ah, amazing! Just with my voice!" she said, looking quite proud of herself. Devyn shook her head in disbelief. Neville leaned down and whispered, "She's delusional."

Devyn nodded and Harry said, "_Fortuna Major._" His voice was more firm than before and The Fat Lady finally gave in.

"Yes, alright, go in."

"Thank you," Harry said, although it was with an air of impatience. The portrait swung open to reveal the entrance to the scarlet and gold Gryffindor Tower. Everyone scrambled through, eager to get to their warm beds.

Harry and Seamus were in the front of the crowd, with Ron, Hermione, Devyn, and Neville not far behind.

"She's still doing that after three years!" Harry exclaimed. "She can't even sing!"

"Exactly!" Seamus replied.

They both had a very fair point. The Fat Lady really couldn't sing at all. But she had deluded herself into thinking that she could. From that thought, the whole thing was really kind of pathetic.

_I think therefore I am, is right, _Devyn thought.

"Ugh!" Dean cried out. Devyn looked around and saw that he had just walked through a ghost. The sensation was similar to walking into a cobweb or a spider web. It was not a pleasant one; it made you do this weird sort of spastic dance, trying to get the ectoplasm out of your hair, if there was anything to get out in the first place.

And it looked like that's what Dean was doing right now.

"That's awful!" one of the girls commented.

Devyn couldn't help but agree.

* * *

After bidding Neville goodnight with their customary hug, Devyn had walked into the third year girls' dormitory and said hello to Lavender and Parvati before collapsing onto her bed after changing into her pajamas. Seconds later, Hermione did the exact same thing.

"So, Devyn…"

Devyn's eyes snapped open when she heard Lavender say her name like she had just heart some juicy piece of gossip and wanted to confirm it's truth or falseness.

Devyn rolled over and looked at Lavender. "Yes…?"

"Parvati told me that Seamus was asking you about Hogsmeade. Did he ask you to go with him?"

"First off, really Parvati? Couldn't you just keep quiet?"

Parvati shrugged but she looked not one bit sorry about it. "Secondly," Devyn continued. "He tried to, but McGonagall interrupted him."

"But you knew what he was asking you?"

"Yeah."

"And did you say yes?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't wanna go with him."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not interested."

"Why?" Lavender repeated. Devyn was trying very hard not to lose her temper but one could only take so much of Lavender Brown before they started to go slightly mad.

"Because I'm not."

"That's not an answer! _Why_?" Lavender persisted. Devyn's eye twitched a little and she sat up slowly.

"Lavender…I am not interested in Seamus, nor have I ever been. That is why I don't want to go to Hogsmeade with him. Now stop asking."

"But –"

"_**Good night**_, _**Lavender**_," Devyn said, rolling back over and closing her eyes.

"But –"

Hermione shot up like a bullet in her bed and said to Lavender, quite fiercely, "LAVENDER! **Stop **asking. It's none of your business. For once in your life, shut up."

Lavender squeaked in surprise and was evidently so shocked that she lost her ability to speak, which was more than a blessing.

Devyn opened her eyes and mouthed, "Thank you" to Hermione, who nodded in reply.

Once Lavender ceased making noise, Devyn felt herself drifting off to sleep, but not before she could hear odd distant sounds of a lion roaring and an elephant trumpeting.

"The boys must have gotten a hold of those animal sweets," Parvati murmured. "You know the ones that make you sound like whatever animal you eat. Like green's a monkey. I wonder who got the elephant."

Somewhere in her mind, Devyn thought it would funny if Neville had gotten the elephant because he was always forgetting things and elephants never forgot anything. Not much else crossed her mind after that, and she quickly passed out cold.

She was so happy to be back, even if it meant another year putting up with Lavender.


	6. Chapter 6

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS. **

**Chapter 6**

The next morning, Devyn woke up with a smile on her face. It was still pretty early, and the sun was just rising. She honestly didn't know why she woke up so early, but it didn't really matter because she felt more than rested.

She lay in her bed for awhile just thinking about things. She thought about how Moony's first class was going to go, and how she would rip Malfoy to shreds if he tried to sabotage it. She thought about Seamus trying to ask her to Hogsmeade and Lavender being nosy about it. She thought about Black and Harry and the anxiety that tightened her chest whenever she thought about the escaped fugitive. She still thought that there was something more to Black's story that no one wanted to tell them, but she couldn't imagine what it was. Clearly it was something important; otherwise they wouldn't be keeping it from them. Devyn doubted that it had anything to do with her…no, it was more than likely that it had to do with Harry, especially because Mr. Weasley had said that Black broke out of Azkaban to come after Harry.

But something inside her was telling her that although Mr. Weasley was right about Black breaking out to come after Harry, it wasn't to kill him. A piece of the puzzle was missing, and it was proving difficult to discover.

After the thoughts of Black and what he may have to do with Harry left her mind, she thought about Neville. Neville, her best friend in the whole world and the boy she "liked". She thought about how upset he seemed when he thought that there was a chance that Devyn would be interested in Seamus.

Why was that? There was more than enough evidence to suggest that Neville liked her _that_ way, but was it true? And if it was, what was she going to do about it? As much confidence as she had in Neville, she didn't think he had the nerve to say anything about how he felt.

She sighed quietly. "Why does this have to be so difficult?" she murmured. "Why can't this be easy?"

"Why can't what be easy?"

Devyn jumped and nearly toppled out of bed when she heard Hermione's voice. She hadn't realized her friend was awake. Devyn turned to look at Hermione and then cast a look over at Lavender and Parvati's sleeping forms. They could be actually sleeping but she wasn't going to take any chances. She crawled out from under her blankets and sat cross-legged on the bed. She looked back over at Hermione and beckoned her over.

Hermione sighed and got out of her bed. She stretched her muscles before joining Devyn on her bed. Devyn cast another look at Parvati and Lavender and Hermione said, "Is this about Neville?"

Devyn looked back at Hermione and nodded. A wide grin formed on Hermione's face and Devyn rolled her eyes.

"Have you finally admitted the truth to yourself?" Hermione whispered. Devyn raised an eyebrow and asked, "What truth is that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes this time and said, "That you _like _him."

Devyn looked at Hermione with no expression for a couple seconds and then nodded again. Hermione made an extremely inhuman noise and she started bouncing up and down excitedly.

"I knew it! You've liked him since first year!" Hermione said. Devyn held a finger to her lips in an effort to get Hermione to be quiet. The last thing she needed was Parvati and/or Lavender waking up and being nosy again. Parvati wasn't normally that bad, but she didn't think that she could trust her again – not after she blabbed to Lavender about the whole Seamus situation.

Hermione silenced herself and Devyn said, "Yes, I've finally 'admitted the truth' as you say. I mean, I think somewhere inside me I always knew I liked him…but nothing is going to happen."

"What? Why not?" Hermione asked.

"Because…I mean, say we started dating or whatever. We're only thirteen, for one thing. I think we're too young. But anyway, let's say we did start going out. What if things went south? Hmm? What if we break up? There's no way we could be friends then! I don't want to risk our friendship."

Hermione nodded and said, "I see your point. But, seriously, Devyn…if you like him, then you should go for it. I know he likes you too, and you'll always be saying "What if…?" if you don't. You know that."

"I know, but…"

"I get what you're saying. But think about it. If you had said "What if I get hurt?" when we went up against Quirrell, you might not have stopped him and Harry could be dead. If you had said "What if I get all of us killed?" when you went down to the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny would probably be dead. Do you understand what I'm saying? You could stop yourself from doing anything with the 'what if's', and in some situations that's a good thing – but this isn't that kind of situation. If things do go wrong and you and Neville end up not being friends, then so be it. It'll be sad, but at least then you'll know. I know you'd rather have him as a friend then not at all, but when it comes to liking him and sitting in silence while some other girl may snatch him up…"

Devyn thought hard about what Hermione was saying. Just the thought of some random girl getting to be with Neville instead of her hurt, and angered her.

"You know what, Hermione? You're right."

"Of course I am," she replied. Devyn gave her a look and she shrugged.

"Maybe it's time I stop thinking about what could happen and start thinking about what I can make happen. But I think…I think maybe I should wait until the first Hogsmeade trip to do it. Neville and I can go together and I can tell him then!"

Hermione nodded and said, "Good plan. You know what else would be a good plan?"

"What?" Devyn asked. Hermione grinned and said, "Getting ready for our classes. And breakfast. Breakfast sounds good too."

And with those words, Devyn realized that she was hungry. Her stomach growled and she was bidden to obey it.

* * *

**I know, I know. It's been a while since I updated. Sorry. And I know this chapter is short, but I didn't want to go ahead and get into the classes or anything. This chapter's pretty much filler, but it's sort of a foreshadowing for other events…that may or may not be coming soon.**

**Well, anyway, it'd be great if you could leave a review and tell me what you liked/disliked. I really do want to know. Thanks, it really means a lot to me.**

**I don't know when the next chapter will be, but I'll try to make it soon. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**AN: Just so you know, I'm embellishing a little with Trelawney's class. Nothing much, just trying to flesh things out. Thought you ought to know. **

**Chapter 7**

Soon after Hermione and Devyn finished their conversation, they started getting ready for the day and Devyn couldn't help but smile when she caught sight of herself in the school uniform once again. She was just so excited to be back at Hogwarts.

She and Hermione made their way down to the Great Hall where breakfast was already on the tables. Not many students were down there just yet, but in a few minutes, they would be.

In fact, about ten minutes after Devyn and Hermione sat down and starting eating, Neville, Harry, and Ron trudged their way into the Great Hall. They weren't really awake just yet, but Ron perked up immediately when he smelled the delicious foods that were laid out in front of them.

"Morning," Devyn said to the boys. Ron nodded at her before diving into the plate of sausages before him and Harry smiled in greeting.

Neville, however, looked at her with the brightest smile and said, "Morning, Devyn!"

Ron looked up at Neville like he was insane and said, "How are you so…awake?"

Neville shrugged and smiled again. "Just happy and excited, I guess."

Ron shook his head and said, through a mouthful of sausage, "Never took you for a morning person, Neville."

"I'm not…I mean, not usually," Neville said. Devyn knew that she wasn't supposed to see it, but Neville cast a meaningful look her way. The fact that he did this made her heart jump and she had to fight the impulse to squirm happily in her seat.

Luckily, the fight to control herself became easier when Seamus sat down next to Neville and tossed a grin her way. Devyn didn't want to be mean to Seamus, but he clearly didn't understand that she wasn't interested in him.

Of course, in his defense, she never actually _told _him that she wasn't interested, and as far as she knew, Seamus wasn't a mind reader. If he were, he wouldn't still be grinning at her like that.

Devyn cleared her throat and said, "Morning, Seamus."

Seamus blinked and said, "Hi, Devyn. So…I never got to finish asking you, last night, about Hogsmeade…when the first trip comes around, would you want to go with me?"

Harry and Ron looked around at Seamus like they had never seen him before, but luckily they didn't say anything. Hermione was alternating between looking at her plate and at Devyn.

Neville was once again glowering at Seamus, but it wasn't as intense as last night, because, Devyn suspected, he already knew what her answer was going to be.

Devyn cleared her throat again and said, "Look, Seamus…you're a nice guy…really…"

Seamus smiled again and said, "Thanks."

Devyn nodded and continued, "But I'm going to have to say no."

"What?" Seamus asked. He sounded a little confused and disappointed.

"No, Seamus. I'm sorry, but I just don't…see you…in that way."

"Oh. Oh, okay," Seamus said. "Um…are you already going with someone else?"

"Why?" Devyn asked.

"Just asking," Seamus replied, sounding defensive. "I just wanna know why you're turning me down."

"Look, Seamus," Neville said, his tone slightly dangerous, "she already said no. What more information do you need?"

"Shove off, Neville. No one's talking to you," Seamus snapped.

And there went Devyn's patience. Any desire to be polite to Seamus flew out of the window. Nobody spoke to Neville like that and got away with it. Not while she was still breathing.

"Alright, you know what, Seamus?" Devyn said, her anger rising quickly. "I tried to be nice. I really did, but apparently me being nice doesn't get it through your thick skull. No, I'm not going to Hogsmeade with someone else – not yet, anyway – but that doesn't mean that I want to go with you. As a matter of fact, I don't want to go with you, because I'm not interested. And you listen to me, Finnigan, if you ever speak to Neville like that ever again, you will find yourself on the floor begging for mercy before you can even draw another breath. Are we clear?"

Seamus progressively sank lower and lower into his chair, to the point where, when she was finished, he was nearly on the floor. He nodded meekly and Devyn relaxed.

The entire rest of breakfast, Seamus didn't say another word to her or Neville. Neville smiled at her shyly and Devyn knew that was his way of saying thank you without having to actually say it. Devyn winked at him as way of reply.

Soon enough, McGonagall came around with the schedules for the students and Devyn and the others were delighted to find out that they had all their classes together. Although, considering that the Gryffindors generally had all their classes together, they really shouldn't be surprised anymore.

It was interesting to note that Hermione's schedule was slightly weird. Devyn was the only one who noticed it at first and she leaned over and said, "Hermione, they've got you down for four classes all at the same time. What's up?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't worry, I've got it all worked out with McGonagall."

Devyn had no idea what that meant, and frankly, she didn't want to know. Hermione was an over-achiever, and this was taking it a bit far, but if she thought she could handle it, then she wouldn't interfere.

* * *

Sooner than later, they had to report to their first class of the year, which happened to be Divination. As they made their way to the North Tower (and got lost a couple times on the way, which led to their asking directions from both Sir Nicholas and a painting of a very strange knight named Sir Cadogan), Hermione and Devyn were discussing what Divination might be like.

"Well, Professor McGonagall doesn't think very highly of it," Hermione said. Devyn shrugged. She held nothing but the utmost respect for McGonagall – which increased with every year – but she'd rather experience something for herself before saying that it was useless or unreliable.

They started the climb up the winding staircase to the North Tower and about halfway through, Hermione dropped her backpack and her possessions came spilling out. Luckily, nothing shattered or was ruined, but Hermione sighed nonetheless and stooped down to pick up her belongings.

Devyn and Neville did the same but Hermione smiled and said, "Oh, it's all right. I've got it. You go on."

Devyn raised an eyebrow and said, "You sure?"

Hermione nodded and said, "Yeah, I've got it. You don't have to wait for me."

Neville frowned in confusion and Devyn started wondering if something was up. "Hermione, really, we don't mind waiting," Neville told her. However, Hermione shook her head and motioned for them to keep walking up the stairs.

Neville and Devyn looked at each other and shrugged in unison. "All right, Hermione. See you in class."

"See you!" Hermione called back cheerfully as Devyn and Neville continued their climb up the stairs quickly, in order to catch up with Harry and Ron.

Ron looked around when they were caught up and asked, "Where'd Hermione go?"

"Oh, she dropped her stuff. We offered to help her pick it up, but she sort of shooed us away," Neville replied. Ron frowned and said, "Huh…"

However, the confusion that had momentarily seized Ron disappeared and shrugged. The four of them continued walking up the seemingly never-ending stairs to the North Tower.

"Is there a particular reason why Professor Trelawney is all the way up here, does anyone know?" Devyn asked. Although her stamina and speed was slightly more advanced than her friends', she still hated stairs.

Harry, Ron, and Neville all shrugged. "I've got no clue, but I hope she has a good reason. Who knows, maybe Dumbledore stuck her up here to keep her out of the way. I mean, has anyone ever heard of her before this year?" Neville asked.

"Nope," Devyn replied, and Harry and Ron nodded their agreement. They hadn't ever heard of her either.

"Well, she isn't new, because if she was, Dumbledore would have introduced her at the Welcoming Feast," Ron said.

"And she wasn't new last year either," Devyn said. She'd almost forgotten that Harry and Ron hadn't been present for that Welcoming Feast. "And she wasn't new the year before that. So she's been here at least four years. But I've never even seen the woman around the castle. I mean, it's a big place, but most of the time, you see a majority of the teachers wandering around somewhere in the castle. But I've never seen her."

"Maybe she just doesn't like to socialize," Harry said.

"Yeah, maybe," Devyn said.

That conversation, thankfully, had carried them to the top of the stairs at long last. They looked around at their fellow classmates who were standing on the landing as well. She looked up and nudged Neville when she figured out why they were all standing there. Neville looked her way and she pointed to the ceiling, in which a circular wooden door was set. There was a gold plate on the door that read "_Professor Trelawney_".

"Ah," Neville said, turning to Ron and Harry to point out the door to them.

While he was doing that, Devyn caught sight of Seamus craning his neck and standing on his toes, obviously trying to look for someone, and Devyn had only too clear an idea who he was searching for.

She quickly tried to make herself inconspicuous by standing a little closer to Neville. He was taller than her by a fair bit, so he hid her pretty well. He looked down at her with an odd expression on his face.

Devyn looked up at him and said, "Don't move."

Neville blinked a couple times in bewilderment before looking down at her again, with the same expression on his face. Devyn blinked up at him in return before giving in and saying, "What?"

"**What **are you doing?" Neville asked, his voice full of confusion and curiosity.

Devyn sighed and said quietly, "Seamus is looking for me. I'm trying to stay hidden so he won't bother me."

Neville frowned deeply and looked around at Seamus, who was still determinedly searching for someone. "How do you know he isn't just looking for Dean?"

"Because Dean is right there, talking to Parvati and Lavender," Devyn said, gesturing toward the boy in question. Neville didn't even bother to ask how she noticed that; he had long since learned that Devyn happened to be extremely observant.

"All right. Look, Dev, why don't you just tell Seamus to shove off?"

"I don't want to be mean to him, Neville. He's got a crush on me, that's all. It'll wear off – I hope."

"You had no problem being blunt at breakfast, though," Neville told her. She nodded and said, "Yeah, well, he was being mean to you. No one speaks to you like that; not while I'm around."

Neville grinned and blushed a little and then said, "He's still on about Hogsmeade? Blimey, how many times does he have to be turned down before he understands?" Devyn nodded and said, "Yeah, I know. He clearly hasn't gotten the message yet."

"Well, if he asks you again, just say you're going with someone else."

Devyn's spine straightened of its own accord and she looked up at Neville. "And who should I say I'm going with, if he asks me?"

"Erm…well, see, I wanted to talk to you about that, but Seamus beat me to the punch…er…I was thinking that maybe we could go together. You know, just you and me. I don't know…I mean, I think it'd be fun – if you want to that is! If you don't…well, that…that'd be okay, too," Neville stammered out. Once he got that out, he adopted a blank expression and waited for her answer.

Devyn had to stop and process what Neville had just asked her. _Did Neville just ask me out?_

_**Yes, he did! Now answer before he backs out! **_Snow shouted at her.

_All right, all right! Take it easy!_

"Yeah, I'd love to. That sounds great."

Neville released a giant sigh of relief. He smiled widely and said, "Great! That's…that's great. That's settled then. So whenever the first Hogsmeade trip is…"

"We'll go together. Definitely, for sure."

Neville nodded and couldn't seem to keep the smile off his face. About thirty seconds later, the circular door in the ceiling opened and a silver ladder descended onto the ground. One of the feet of the ladder narrowly missed Dean's foot; it was only because Lavender pulled him out of the way that it actually missed.

Eventually a line started forming and one by one, the students started climbing up the ladder into the loft space above them.

"This is weird," Devyn commented and Neville nodded in agreement. Regardless of the weirdness of the means of entry, Devyn started ascending up the ladder after Neville and looked back down at Ron and Harry.

"If either of you looks up my skirt while I'm climbing, I'll kick you in the face. Clear?"

Harry and Ron nodded quickly and each of them quickly fixed their gazes on the metal bars in front of them. Once she reached the top, Neville grabbed her hand and pulled her up so she wouldn't have to get on her hands and knees and then push herself off the ground.

"Thanks, Nev."

"No problem. Come on, let's find a seat."

Once the four of them were separated by two's and seated at tables covered with red cloth, Devyn took the liberty of looking around the room.

The first thing she noticed was that the air was cloudy because of incense, no doubt, which was driving her sinuses insane. She desperately willed her sense of smell to be toned down just a tad, so that she wouldn't be burning the inside of her nostrils with every breath.

Then she noticed that any windows in the classroom were covered with red cloth similar to that on the table and candles were lit everywhere, casting an odd glow about the room. At the tables, there were two teacups and a teapot in front of them.

"What do you suppose these are for?" Neville asked her. She shrugged – she was as clueless as the next person when it came to Divination. Devyn cast a look around the room and noticed that almost everybody was looking about curiously except for Draco Malfoy and his cronies.

Malfoy was just sitting there, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. As for Crabbe and Goyle, they were staring around the room stupidly, with their mouths gaping a little.

Devyn rolled her eyes and took to looking around the room again. When she had finished that, she noticed a small note on the table in curvy handwriting.

"Look at this," she said to Neville, picking up the note and showing it to him. Neville squinted at it and said, "'The tea is brewed and very hot. Please be careful and pour yourselves a cup. Please then proceed to drink the tea until just the dregs are left.' Well, all right then."

Neville picked up the tea pot and poured them each a cup. As Devyn took a sip of the piping hot tea, she noticed that the others had started to pour their tea as well. Slowly but surely, everyone was drinking tea until each student had finished and placed their cup back on the table.

"Welcome my children!" a voice said, causing almost every student to jump. Neville nearly fell out of his seat, he had been so startled. Everyone looked around and noticed that the voice belonged to a thin woman with extremely large, round glasses and very curly hair. This could only be Professor Trelawney.

"In this room, you shall explore the noble art of Divination. In this room, you shall discover if you possess the _**Sight**_!" Professor Trelawney said. Unfortunately, her mystical tone was spoiled a little because she bumped into the table in front of her and had to steady it with one hand, causing the class to chuckle a little.

She carefully maneuvered around the table and said, "Hello. I am Professor Trelawney. Together, we shall cast ourselves into the future! This term we will be focusing on Tasseomancy, which is the art of reading tea leaves. So please, take the cup of the person sitting opposite you."

Trelawney crossed her arms out in front of her for effect and nodded enthusiastically when the students started handing each other their cups. Devyn relinquished her cup to Neville and received his in return. She looked into the tea cup and stared at the soggy remains of the tea leaves.

She and Neville shrugged at each other and started flipping through their textbooks for the symbol translation. Devyn saw something that looked like a wasp, which meant "danger of small harm". She frowned and thought, _I hope not. I don't want Neville getting hurt._

But then, she also saw something that looked like a daisy…which meant "new love"…Devyn tried desperately not to blush when she saw that. She knew that it could have meant anything…but she wondered if that had anything to do with her.

"What do you see?" Professor Trelawney asked them. "The truth lies buried, like sentence deep within a book, waiting to be read. But first, you must broaden your minds!" She placed her hands firmly on Seamus' head, causing him to look up at her like she was insane. "First, you must look BEYOND!"

"What a load of rubbish!"

Devyn heard Hermione's voice and looked up to see her sitting at Ron and Harry's table. How had she gotten there? She hadn't been there the entire time – Devyn knew she hadn't!

"Where did you come from?" Ron asked her.

"Me? I've been here all this time!" Hermione replied impatiently. Devyn frowned in thought because she knew that Hermione hadn't been there the entire time. She knew it for a fact.

However, she was unable to think about Hermione's sudden appearance because Trelawney suddenly pointed to Neville and said, "You boy! Is your grandmother quite well?"

Neville, who had been taken aback, stammered, "I-I-I think so."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Give me the cup," Trelawney said. Devyn handed her the cup and she barely looked at it for five seconds before she placed it back on the table and said, "Oh, hmm, pity…"

She walked on and Neville grabbed the cup and stared at it with wide eyes. He looked up at Devyn and asked, "What did you see? Did you see anything?"

Devyn hesitated, because she didn't want to cause him any unnecessary worry, but he looked like he wanted to know.

"Well, I saw something that looked a little like a wasp…that means "danger of small harm". Don't worry Neville, I'm sure it's nothing. I wouldn't put much stock into it, honestly."

Neville looked into his cup and said, "I suppose I sort of see a wasp. But what's this other thing? You've got one similar to it. D'you know what it is?"

"Oh, um…I think it's a daisy."

Neville nodded and consulted his book. He blushed deeply when he realized what the daisy stood for. Devyn smiled and Neville cleared his throat nervously.

"O-Oh, look, then there's this thing. Here, look. It's on the side – what does that look like to you? I've not got the foggiest idea what it could be…"

Devyn squinted at it and said, "Looks like one of those old oil lamps. You know, like Filch has got."

"Oh yeah, it does! Let's see what that means…lamp…on the side…oh, it says it symbolizes secrets being revealed."

Devyn's eyebrows shot up and she wondered, if there was any truth to this Tasseomancy stuff, what that meant. Did it have something to do with her and Neville? Or did it have to do with Sirius Black? Or maybe something entirely different?

"Ah!" Trelawney exclaimed, when she reached Ron, scaring the wits out of him. "Your aura is pulsing, dear! Are you in the beyond? I think you are!"

Ron nodded, looking utterly terrified, and said, "Sure."

"Look at the cup! Tell me what you see!" Trelawney told him.

Ron looked down at the cup and flipped a couple pages in his book. "Oh, yeah, um, well…Harry's got sort of a wonky cross, and that's 'trials and suffering'."

Hermione was looking highly amused while she watched Trelawney looking back and forth between Harry and Ron, making the odd thoughtful humming noise.

"And that there," Ron said, "could be the sun and that's 'happiness'." He looked up at Harry and said, "So, you're gonna suffer…but you're gonna be happy...about it."

Devyn had to stifle a laugh and it looked as though Hermione was trying to do the same. Trelawney, however, was not amused. "Give me the cup," she said, holding out her hand.

Ron obliged and Trelawney took one look at it before exclaiming loudly in fear and backing away quickly. The entire class was on edge as Trelawney moved slowly back towards Harry and said, "Oh, my dear boy…my dear…you have _**the Grim**_."

Gasps and whispers stole through the classroom and Seamus said loudly, "The Grin? What's the Grin?"

A boy named Bem turned to Seamus and said, "Not the Grin, you idiot, the Grim. 'Taking the form of a giant spectral dog, it's among the darkest omens in our world. It's an omen of death'."

Harry stared; pale-faced, down at the cup in his hands, at what apparently was the figure of the Grim. Devyn didn't want to believe Trelawney – Harry wasn't going to die – but with Black's escape at hand, and what Harry said Mr. Weasley told him…it was, admittedly, all a bit creepy.

Now, at the moment, all Devyn wanted to do was get out of that classroom and down to Transfiguration. She wasn't so sure she was going to like Divination.

* * *

**Hey, everyone! So, I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth. I've been really busy and I've also had writer's block for a bit. But now I'm back. Thanks for being patient with me. I hope you liked this chapter. Please review, tell me what you liked/disliked. It really does help and I really do appreciate it. **

**Keep an eye out for the next chapter. As always, I don't know when it'll be up, but I promise it'll be soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**AN: I will be quoting the book here, because I want to include the Transfiguration class where McGonagall is teaching them about Animagi.**

**Chapter 8**

Once Devyn got out of Trelawney's classroom and back down into the rest of the castle, it was far easier to think clearly. She found herself calming down about the whole Grim thing. Once she thought about it, she had to admit, Divination did seem a little unreliable.

Granted, she was sure that there were certain aspects to it that were reliable, but she didn't think that tea leaves were one of them. Still, it was a tad weird that the Grim showed up in Harry's cup when Black was on the loose and apparently out to kill Harry.

And then there was the daisy symbol in both her and Neville's cups, which represented new love. That was slightly odd…but then there was the wasp in Neville's cup – Devyn highly doubted that anything was going to happen to Mrs. Longbottom. Even though she was only human, she was cautious and exceedingly resilient.

But on the other hand, there was the lamp in her cup, which symbolized secrets being revealed. Now that was weird. Devyn knew there was something that everyone was keeping from Harry (and by extension, Devyn and the rest of her friends) regarding the whole Black situation. So, maybe something was going to happen that would shine some light on the subject?

Devyn shook her head and tried to push those thoughts from her mind as she sat down in her seat in McGonagall's classroom. She looked around at Harry, who was sitting behind her – he looked just as pensive as she was.

In fact, the entire class was. They were all looking grave and thoughtful. Parvati and Lavender kept stealing glances at Harry, as though they expected him to drop dead at any given moment. Luckily, they stopped doing this when they realized that Harry knew what they were doing (he was glaring at them), but still, barely anyone was paying attention when McGonagall transformed from her cat Animagus back into her human form.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" McGonagall asked, looking a little disgruntled. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."

Almost as though everyone aside from Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Devyn were operating under a hive mind, they turned in unison to look at Harry. Although they stared at him, no one made a sound.

Slowly, Hermione raised her hand and said, "Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading tea leaves, and –"

McGonagall nodded and put up a hand to stop Hermione. "Ah, of course," she said, frowning. "There is no need to say anymore, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"

Devyn's whirling mind screeched to a halt at McGonagall's words – what did she mean? Had Trelawney predicted students' deaths before?

"Me," Harry said, although it sounded more like a reluctant grunt. McGonagall nodded.

"I see," she said, staring at Harry. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybil Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues…"

McGonagall trailed off, looking as though she had just had to stop herself from saying something she really shouldn't, at least not to students. She breathed deeply and continued, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney…"

Once again she stopped herself and then said, in a frank tone of voice, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."

Devyn smiled and chuckled at McGonagall's dry humor. She looked at Neville and saw that he was grinning too. However, there were others who were obviously not convinced – Lavender and Parvati were both still looking concerned and even Ron was looking unsure of the notion that Harry's tea leaves had just been tea leaves, and not some death omen.

"Now," McGonagall said, settling back into teaching mode, "which of you can tell me what an Animagus is?"

Devyn felt an urge to grin rising up in her as she raised her hand along with Hermione, who was also suppressing a smile. Sometimes it was awfully hard to keep Snow a secret.

"Miss Murphy?" McGonagall said, nodding to her.

"An Animagus is a witch or wizard who elects to turn into an animal," Devyn replied. McGonagall nodded and said, "Excellent, five points to Gryffindor. And who can tell me what determines what shape someone's Animagus might take?"

Hermione raised her hand and McGonagall called on her. "The Animagus form is determined by the person's inner traits and qualities. For example, someone with a wolf Animagus," Devyn tried desperately not to smile and risk revealing her secret, "would most likely have inner traits such as loyalty, intelligence, and vigilance."

"Precisely, Miss Granger. Another five points to Gryffindor…"

When McGonagall turned away for a moment, Hermione caught Devyn's eye and winked. Devyn returned the wink and then caught out of the corner of her eye Neville trying to stifle a laugh. As discreetly as she could, she looked at Harry and Ron, who were both wearing telltale grins.

By nothing less than a miracle, none of the other students noticed that their five classmates seemed to be sharing an inside joke. In fact, the entire lesson went by without anyone noticing that the five of them kept having to suppress grins.

* * *

As the five of them made their way down to Hagrid's Hut for their first Care of Magical Creatures class, Devyn had to admit that McGonagall informing them about Trelawney's "Welcome to Divination" act had done wonders to alleviate her worry.

Maybe she'd go talk to Moony afterwards, if she could. He always knew what to say to ease her mind, and she hadn't seen very much of him since the Welcoming Feast – this was a bit annoying, considering they were now within the same (however large) castle.

"So…" Neville said, walking with her down the wooden log steps that eventually led to Hagrid's Hut. "What d'you think about those tea leaves?"

"I don't know…I mean, it's a bit odd, isn't it? The timing and everything…with Black after Harry -"

"Oh…no, I meant…I meant the ones in our cups. The daisies."

"Oh!" Devyn exclaimed. She wondered if she even had the right to be caught off guard. After all, she'd been thinking about it, too. "Um…I don't know, Neville. It's strange – not in a bad way – and I don't really know what to think about the daisies."

Neville turned red as he said, "It's a bit odd, that our cups both had the daisy, though, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I suppose. Yeah," Devyn replied. She glanced at Neville and he said, "Yeah, well, McGonagall said that Divination wasn't very reliable, so…it's best to not put much stock into it, I guess."

Devyn only shrugged in reply.

"You don't think that Grim thing's got anything to do with Sirius Black, do you?" Ron asked loudly from slightly ahead of Devyn and Neville. Harry was behind of the two of them and Hermione was taking up the rear.

"Oh, honestly, Ron," Hermione said, sounding impatient with Ron's concern. "If you ask me, Divination's a very wooly discipline. Now, Ancient Runes, that's a fascinating subject."

Devyn's thoughts stopped swirling for just a moment when she processed what Hermione had said. Wasn't Ancient Runes in the same time as Divination? And it was only the first day – Hermione couldn't have had an Ancient Runes class yet.

_Just another thing that doesn't add up. What else is new? _Devyn thought.

"Ancient Runes?" Ron asked incredulously. "Exactly how many classes are you taking this term?"

"A fair few," Hermione answered vaguely. Neville raised an eyebrow at Devyn and she just shrugged. She trusted Hermione, but she was still curious. Something was up…Hermione was definitely hiding something from them, and it was probably with good reason.

Ron stopped short for a second, causing Devyn and Neville to have to skirt around him narrowly to avoid a collision. "Hang on," Ron said, having realized something. "That's not possible. Ancient Runes is in the same time as Divination. You'd have to be in two classes at once!"

_Exactly, Ron, exactly_, Devyn thought. Ron was right on the money – Hermione would have to be in two classes at once, but that was impossible…wasn't it?

"Don't be silly, Ronald. How could anyone be in two classes at once?" Hermione replied, sounding a little condescending. In an effort to steer the conversation away from her multiple classes, Hermione chose to mimic Trelawney.

"'Broaden your minds…use your inner eye to see the future!'" Hermione mocked the Divination teacher, laughing while she did it. Devyn couldn't deny that Trelawney had come out with some pretty ridiculous sounding things, but she also couldn't push the coincidental timing of what Trelawney had said.

"Dev…" Neville said softly, drawing her attention. She looked towards him and noticed that his green eyes were sparkling with a gentle and concerned light.

"I'm okay, Neville. Really. Just got a lot on my mind."

"Look, you've got to stop thinking so much." Neville said, placing an arm around her shoulders. Devyn smiled happily; she loved that around most everyone else, Neville was very shy, but with her, he wasn't like that. That one simple motion also showed how far their friendship had progressed. In first year he wouldn't have even thought to try that without hesitating about a million times.

Devyn sighed and wrapped her arm around Neville's waist.

"I mean, I love that you're always thinking but…Dev, you're gonna drive yourself mad thinking about Black all the time. I know you're worried about Harry, but nothing's gonna happen. Just try and relax, okay?" Neville told her, pulling her close before releasing her shoulders.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Neville. I know you're right. Sometimes I wish I could just turn off my brain, you know? Just for a while."

Neville nodded in understanding, but they couldn't continue their conversation any further because they had reached Hagrid's hut. Hagrid wasn't outside yet, so the students had sort of congregated in front of his hut, split off into two groups – Gryffindors and Slytherins.

As the five of them approached, Devyn narrowed her eyes when she saw what Malfoy was up to. He seemed to be doing an impersonation of someone fainting, causing Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson to howl with mirth.

Devyn made a motion towards Malfoy, but Harry restrained her. "Don't," he said. "He's not worth it. It's just what he wants, anyway – attention."

Devyn wanted to push Harry's grip off and have a go at Malfoy, but she thought better of it and turned away from Malfoy and joined her fellow Gryffindors.

"Hey, Devyn!"

Devyn groaned when she heard Seamus call out to her. She turned to face him and said, "No, Seamus. My answer is still no."

His face fell and he said, "But why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'? I thought I made that clear at breakfast!"

"Yeah, but I thought maybe you'd change your mind…"

"Well, I haven't," Devyn told him.

"Yeah, I can see that, but why?"

"Bloody hell, Seamus, she's going with someone else, all right?!" Neville interrupted in her defense. "Get it through your head, man."

"_What_? But you told me this morning you weren't going with anyone!" Seamus protested.

"Well I wasn't – then. Someone asked me just before Divination class."

"Oh, yeah?" Seamus said, sounding angry and defensive. "And who is this person, eh?"

"Neville," Devyn said simply. Seamus' expression went from angry to stunned within seconds.

"What?"

"You heard me; Neville asked me and I said yes."

Seamus glared at the two of them before slinking away and muttering, "Shoulda seen that one coming, Finnigan."

"Maybe now he'll stop asking," Devyn said, with a satisfied and finished air. Neville nodded and said, "Let's hope. Otherwise, I'll have to start questioning the quality of Seamus' memory."

"Right!" Hagrid's voice boomed from above them. Most of the students turned towards him and started paying attention, including the majority of the Gryffindors and few of the less anger-inducing Slytherins. "That's it! C'mon now, come closer. Less talkin', if you don't mind!"

The last of the voices quieted down and Hagrid held everyone's attention. Devyn smiled up at him from the middle of the foremost part of the crowd. She was so happy for him; he was going to be a wonderful teacher, much like Moony. He had the perfect disposition for it.

"I've got a real treat for yeh today. A great lesson," Hagrid told them. "So follow me."

It was only when Devyn realized that Hagrid was taking them into the Forbidden Forest that her heart sank and she prayed to Merlin that Hagrid hadn't planned anything dangerous. That was the last thing that he needed, was someone getting hurt.

"Oh, please, don't let it be anything dangerous…" Devyn whispered to herself. Neville, who was right next to her, nodded in agreement. She looked around at her friends and saw similarly worried expressions on their faces.

She knew that Hagrid would never put any of the students in danger deliberately, but then again, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view of what was dangerous – his view of Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback as something of a puppy proved that much.

Devyn only hoped that what Hagrid was going to show them wasn't as dangerous as a dragon.


	9. Chapter 9

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 9**

Devyn's heart was in her throat as she followed Hagrid, along with the rest of her classmates, into the Forbidden Forest. Luckily, he didn't lead them too far into it, so it couldn't be anything that dangerous.

It was only when Hagrid lead them into a paddock-like area that Devyn relaxed completely – the paddock meant that whatever creature Hagrid wanted to show them was probably somewhat trained.

"Right, you lot. Less chatterin'," Hagrid said. "Form a group over there." He gestured off to the side and the students started to move that way.

"And open yer books to page forty-nine!" Hagrid added, as though it was a last minute thought. Devyn and Neville both stalled for a second. It only just occurred to her, as she looked down at her extremely animated book (which had been restrained by a belt), that she had no idea how to open it without getting her hand bitten off.

"And exactly how do we do that?" Malfoy asked scornfully. Hagrid turned around and looked at him.

"Jus' stroke the spine, o' course! Goodness me…" Hagrid said as he walked off to only he knew where. The rest of the class was preoccupied with their books to notice Hagrid had gone off in a different direction. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and decided to try out Hagrid's instructions. Once he stroked the spine, Devyn noticed, the growling book calmed down immediately.

Devyn tried her hand taming her own book and was happy to see that it worked. She carefully took off the belt and continued stroking the book's spine until it became completely stationary in her hands. Unfortunately, Neville wasn't as lucky.

He opened his book and it attacked him. Neville shouted in fear and surprise as the book overtook him and he fell to the ground, trying to fend it off. Devyn put her book down on the ground and attempted to get the book off Neville – but it was much stronger than it looked.

"Don't be such a wimp, Longbottom," Malfoy sneered as he walked by.

"Do I even need to tell you shove off?" Devyn growled at him. Malfoy only glared at her.

Luckily, Neville had managed to get the book off and he stood up, his robes shredded slightly. "I'm okay," he said. "Okay."

And then the book attacked again. "Aah!" Neville shouted as the book overtook him once more. By the time that Devyn managed to finally relax the book and coax it away from Neville, Hermione had turned to Malfoy and said, "I think they're funny."

Devyn raised an eyebrow at Hermione's choice of words but soon realized she was saying them in defense of Hagrid, who had, no doubt, chosen the book himself. Malfoy glared once again and said, "Oh yeah. Terribly funny. Really witty! God, this place has gone to the dogs. Wait til my father hears that Dumbledore's got this _oaf _teaching classes!"

Devyn growled as Malfoy's cronies chuckled at his 'joke'. If it weren't for the fact that she didn't want to possibly ruin Hagrid's first class, she would have been pummeling Malfoy into mince-meat at that very moment.

However, because she was trying desperately to control herself, she allowed Harry to step up instead and he said, "Shut up, Malfoy."

"Oooh!"

The entire group of Slytherins chuckled at Harry's comeback and Malfoy sauntered up to him. However, before he could open his mouth, Malfoy's eyes darted above Harry and he adopted an expression of pure fear.

"D-Dementor! Dementor!"

Ron, Hermione, Devyn, and Harry all whipped around and looked up into the sky to see – nothing.

_That little twit! _Devyn thought.

The Slytherins erupted into laughter when they saw that the Gryffindors had fallen for Malfoy's trick. When they turned back around, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy had pulled up their hoods and were making ghost noises, pretending to be Dementors.

"That's real mature, Malfoy," Devyn said, rolling her eyes. This, of course, was a ruse to hide her anger. Dementors were not a joking matter.

"Just ignore him," Hermione told Harry. At that time, Neville came to stand by Ron, looking shell-shocked. His robes were only a little more tattered than before. Devyn didn't know why he hadn't just taken off his robes. It was nice enough out that you didn't need it.

"You're supposed to stroke it," Ron said, sounding a little too amused. Neville looked at him with wide eyes and said, "Yeah."

Devyn shook her head and leant up against the rock that Neville was standing behind. Hagrid had just reappeared, wearing a string of dead ferrets around his shoulders, and said, after clearing his throat, "Da-da-da-dah!"

Devyn smiled at Hagrid's imitation of fanfare but was soon distracted by the absolutely gorgeous creature standing in front of her.

"Isn't he beautiful? Say hello to – Buckbeak!" Hagrid said. Devyn was instantly taken with the creature, which looked like a Hippogriff. Buckbeak body's was a silvery grey color, but the front half was entirely like that of an eagle's but the back half was that of a horse's. Both his feathers and hair looked incredibly soft. Buckbeak's eyes glowed yellow and watched them all with precise observance.

"Hagrid…" Ron said, gaping at Buckbeak. "What exactly is that?"

"That, Ron," Hagrid said proudly, "is a Hippogriff. Firs' thing you wanna know abou' Hippogriffs is that they're very proud creatures. Very easily offended. You **do not** want to insult a Hippogriff. It may just be the las' thing you ever do."

Although Devyn was trying to listen to Hagrid, her ears also picked up the whispers of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were no doubt trying to work out a way to sabotage Hagrid's first class.

_Oh, no way am I going to let him do that. I will wolf out in front of everyone before I let him ruin this for Hagrid_, Devyn thought.

"Now, who'd like to come and say hello?" Hagrid asked them. He turned around to look at Buckbeak, and when he did, the entire class backed away, leaving Harry standing there by himself, so it looked like he had stepped forward and volunteered.

If it hadn't been for Neville, who had ducked down behind the rock and pulled her down with him, Devyn would have stepped forward immediately.

"Neville, what on earth are you doing?" Devyn asked, exasperatedly.

Neville looked at her and said, "There's no way I'm gonna let you get near that thing. Did you see the size of its talons?"

Devyn smiled fondly. "Oh, Neville, relax. If you're really that wary of Buckbeak, I won't go near him, okay? Now will you please let me stand up so I can watch?"

Neville looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "Okay," and relinquished his hold on her. She stood up just as Hagrid said, "Well done, Harry! Well done! Come on, now."

Harry looked around frantically and noticed, for the first time, that he was standing alone. However, in order to help Hagrid out, he nodded and stepped forward – but only after Ron gave him a little push.

"Now," Hagrid instructed, "you have to let _him _make the first move. It's only polite."

Harry kept walking forward slowly and Hagrid said, "So, step up, give him a nice bow. Then you wait, and see if he bows back. If he does, you can go and touch him. If not…well, we'll get to that later."

Harry approached Buckbeak and Hagrid said, "Right. Make you bow…nice and low."

Harry did it, but he seemed reluctant to expose the back of his neck to Buckbeak. Not that Devyn could blame him.

However, it didn't seem Buckbeak liked Harry too much, because he flapped his wings and squawked loudly. Hagrid looked at Harry and said firmly, "Back off, Harry. Back off!"

Harry moved back a few steps, still in a bow, and when he stepped on a twig and snapped it, the entire group of students jumped and Hermione grabbed onto Ron's shirt sleeve. Devyn smiled to herself when she saw this; she wondered if she wasn't the only one with a crush on a friend…

"Keep still," Hagrid advised Harry. But Harry looked up at Buckbeak to watch his movements. "Keep still," Hagrid repeated.

Buckbeak squawked quietly and stamped one of his front feet with the unnervingly large talons on it, but he seemed to relax and eventually bowed to Harry in return.

Hagrid laughed in relief and said, "Well done, Harry. Well done. Here, yeh big brute, you!" He tossed one of the dead ferrets to Buckbeak and he caught it deftly and ate it whole within seconds.

Harry straightened up and Hagrid said, "Right. I think you can go and pat 'im now. Go on, don't be shy."

Harry looked at Hagrid, alarmed, before he eventually started moving towards Buckbeak with his hand extended. At that moment, Malfoy decided to force his way over to where Devyn and Neville were standing with a few other Gryffindors. He and the other Slytherins pushed them out of the way, despite the fact that some of the Gryffindors protested, and Neville practically ran away.

Devyn glared dangerously at Malfoy before following Neville over to where Ron and Hermione were standing.

"Nice and slow, now, nice and slow," Hagrid said. Harry was starting to walk a little faster, but that might have been because he was nervous. Even though she didn't want to, she could smell his fear from here.

"Not so fast, Harry," Hagrid warned, and at that exact moment, Buckbeak snapped at Harry's outstretched hand. Luckily, it was only a warning and he didn't actually bite Harry, but it was enough to make both Hermione and Devyn jump.

Devyn noticed out of the corner of her eye that Hermione's hand, which had previously been clutching Ron's shirt sleeve, had drifted down and enclosed around Ron's wrist. Devyn smiled when Hermione and Ron realized where Hermione's hand was and moved apart from one another, blushing a little.

However, then it was Devyn's turn to blush because Neville grabbed onto her hand as well, out of anxiousness. Devyn tried to stop blushing and she tightened her grip around Neville's, to show him that he wasn't the only one who was nervous for Harry and that she was there.

That's why she thought Neville grabbed her hand, but there may have been another reason and he was just using Harry's predicament as an excuse….

_**You're over-thinking again, Devyn**_, Snow told her. Devyn chose to ignore her.

"Slow down, Harry," Hagrid told him quietly. "That's it, nice and slow…"

Buckbeak snapped his beak lightly again and Harry stopped short.

"Now let him come to you," Hagrid said. Harry stopped walking and Buckbeak started moving towards him. Hagrid kept advising him to move slowly until Buckbeak and Harry met in the middle and the Hippogriff nuzzled Harry's hand.

Harry grinned and Hagrid started clapping.

"Yes, well done! Oh, well done, Harry! Well done!"

Devyn grinned at Neville and he smiled right back, both relieved that Harry wasn't missing any limbs or extremities. Despite the fact that their shared anxiousness had vanished, neither let go of the other's hand. They just didn't want to.

"I think he may let you ride 'im now!" Hagrid said as he moved towards Harry.

"What?!" Harry asked.

"Come on," Hagrid said and lifted Harry up like he was a rag doll.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Hey, Hagrid!" Harry protested. Devyn chuckled at Harry's indignation at being lifted up like a small child, but she wasn't worried. Harry was the most talented flyer she knew – if anyone could ride Buckbeak successfully, it was Harry.

"We'll put you over here, just behind the wing joint," Hagrid said and did just that, plopping Harry onto Buckbeak like a parent would a small child on a pony. "Don' pull out any of his feathers – he won' thank you for that!"

Hagrid smacked Buckbeak's flank and the Hippogriff squawked loudly and reared back, causing Harry to lurch forward and wrap his arms around Buckbeak's neck. Buckbeak started charging forward and reached the end of the paddock in no time and stretched his massive wings out and took off into the sky.

Devyn cheered when Harry and Buckbeak took off and then turned around and caught Hagrid's eye. He grinned and she gave him two thumbs up.

Hagrid only grinned wider. So far, his first class was a phenomenal success. The only problem was, it wasn't over yet.


	10. Chapter 10

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 10**

Hagrid let Harry and Buckbeak fly around for a few minutes, and Devyn could tell Harry was having the time of his life, because she could hear him whooping and yelling with glee almost the entire time he was in the air.

Although, considering his Quidditch prowess, it wasn't all that surprising that he was happy being in the air.

Eventually, Hagrid whistled and Buckbeak came soaring back. He landed with a thud back in the paddock and everyone started cheering, simply because it had been really cool that Harry had ridden a Hippogriff.

"Well done, Harry!" one of the students shouted out.

"Well done, Harry!" Hagrid repeated. "And well done, Buckbeak," he added, apparently in an effort to avoid insulting the gorgeous creature.

"Yeah, that was wicked, Harry!" another student shouted.

Evidently Malfoy was jealous of the cheering because he muttered, "Oh, please," and started sauntering up to Buckbeak while Hagrid's back was turned. Hagrid had just helped Harry down off of Buckbeak's back and asked him, "How am I doin' me first day?"

Harry smiled and said, "Brilliant…Professor."

Devyn smiled fondly when she heard that (sometimes her enhanced hearing was a blessing) but her smile quickly turned to disbelief and anger when she saw Malfoy quickly walking to Buckbeak.

"Yes, you're not dangerous at all, are you?" Malfoy said confidently. Hagrid whirled around and said, "Malfoy…"

"You great ugly brute!"

"Malfoy, no!" Hagrid shouted.

But it was too late. Buckbeak rose up, squawking furiously, and brought his enormous talons down onto Malfoy's arm, which he had put up to protect his face. Malfoy's arm was cut open and blood started staining his shirtsleeve.

Malfoy started whimpering after he hit the ground and he rolled back and forth, holding his arm, nearly crying.

"Buckbeak!" Hagrid shouted and stepped between Malfoy and the Hippogriff in an effort to calm Buckbeak down. Eventually Buckbeak did settle down and Hagrid got him away from Malfoy with another ferret.

"Away, you silly creature…" Hagrid muttered after he threw the ferret. Buckbeak went after it and Hagrid turned to Malfoy, who was still whimpering and rolling around.

"Oh, it's killed me. It's killed me," Malfoy cried out, holding onto his arm.

"C-Calm down, it's just a scratch!" Hagrid told him anxiously. Hermione rushed forward and said, "Hagrid!"

Hagrid looked right up at her and she said, "He has to be taken to the hospital!"

Hagrid nodded and said, scooping Malfoy up and carrying him bridal style, "Right, I'm the teacher, I'll do it!"

Malfoy moaned in pain and said, "Oh, you're gonna regret this…"

"Class dismissed!" Hagrid shouted over his shoulder as he carried Malfoy off.

"You and your bloody chicken!" Malfoy moaned.

And that was that; Hagrid and Malfoy were gone and the other students started milling out of the paddock to go back up to the castle.

Pansy Parkinson tearfully ran after Malfoy and Hagrid to "make sure he was alright". All the Slytherins were muttering about how Hagrid should be fired right away and Devyn snapped. She had been ready to snap the moment that Malfoy sauntered up to Buckbeak, and they had just pushed her over the edge.

"Oi! It isn't Hagrid's fault if Malfoy wasn't listening. He told all of us, specifically not to insult a Hippogriff, and that's what Malfoy did. It isn't Hagrid's fault is Malfoy is too thick to listen to one simple instruction!"

All the Slytherins glared at her murderously and Crabbe and Goyle even made a threatening move toward her and she shot them a look and said, "Try it, you two. I'll rip you limb from limb faster than you can call for your fathers!"

Crabbe and Goyle smirked but then they saw the feral look in Devyn's eyes and they backed off. They had no idea the power she had within her and she doubted, as stupid as they were, that they would challenge a wolf willingly.

Eventually the Slytherins and the majority of the Gryffindors left, until it was only Harry, Devyn, Neville, Ron and Hermione left with Buckbeak, who had just nudged Harry's cheek with his beak. Harry patted him and Devyn edged toward Buckbeak after bowing to him and receiving a bow in return.

Buckbeak made no move to stop her from coming towards him and she eventually made it over and started patting his neck.

"Yeah, that's a good boy…" Devyn murmured. "You're a good boy, Buckbeak."

After a while, they left Buckbeak to his devices and he seemed content to just stay in the paddock. Besides, he could take care of himself even if he did leave the paddock.

"What do you think is gonna happen to Hagrid?" Neville asked her as they walked back up to the castle.

"I don't know, Neville. It was all Malfoy's fault – Hagrid specifically told us not to insult a Hippogriff. It's Malfoy's own fault that he wasn't listening," Devyn replied. Neville nodded and said, "I just don't wanna see Hagrid get into trouble for this."

"None of us do, Nev…"

* * *

Later, after dinner, Devyn decided to go up to Moony's office to spend some time with him and see how his first day went.

She knocked on his door and heard a muffled, "Come in!" from inside the office. She opened the door and poked her head in. She saw her godfather standing in the middle of the room, trying to decide where to put one of his trinkets. Evidently, he hadn't had much time to decorate his office.

He looked around and smiled when he saw her. "Devyn! Come on in."

Devyn moved fully into the office and Moony said, "Where do you think this should go?"

Devyn hummed in thought and looked around the room. "Right there," she said, pointing to a spot on a small bookcase. Moony smiled and set the trinket down and looked at it.

"Perfect. Thanks, kiddo," he said. Devyn smiled and said, "No problem."

"So, what's up?"

"Nothin'. How did your first day go?"

"Oh, wonderful. Most of the students were perfectly well behaved. Although, that probably had to do with the fact that the first lesson was hands-on. Every student likes it when they don't have to take notes."

Devyn smiled, glad that Moony's first go as a teacher had been a success.

"That's great, Moony. I'm really happy for you," she said. Moony smiled and said, "So, how did your first day of classes go?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Harry's death was predicted in Divination…I rejected Seamus about three times after he kept asking me out to the first Hogsmeade trip…Neville asked me to Hogsmeade and I said yes…we learned about Animagi in Transfiguration…oh, and Malfoy got his arm sliced open by a Hippogriff in Care of Magical Creatures."

Moony blinked a couple times and then said, "You got asked out by two boys?"

"That's all you heard? Out of that whole thing, that's all you heard?"

"No, I heard the rest, but I don't really care about the Malfoy boy and Divination is a total waste of time. The Animagi…well, I'm sure that was interesting, but you got asked out by two boys?"

Devyn sighed and said, "Yeah. Seamus and Neville."

"And you rejected Seamus and said yes to Neville."

"Yes."

"Well, at least it's Neville. That boy's been enamored with you for a couple years now."

"He has?"

"Yep. Didn't you see it? He did an awful job of hiding it…"

"No, I guess I didn't."

Moony shrugged and said, "Sometimes the things in front of us are the hardest to see."

"So what have you got planned for my class?" Devyn asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Moony chuckled and said, "You'll have to wait and see. It's a surprise, love."

"Aww…come on, you can tell me! I won't say anything, I promise."

Moony looked thoughtful for a minute before he said, "…No."

"Fine," Devyn said, pouting playfully.

"Oh, relax. It's won't be long before I have your class."

"Uh, I beg to differ! It's still a week, Moony! An entire week!" Devyn said, sounding as though that week was going to be the longest period of time in her life.

Moony laughed and pulled her in for a hug, which she gladly accepted. It sounded silly, but there was something about her godfather that just made her feel safe (and his hugs were the best). He was always warm and smelled like the chocolate he was constantly eating. Although it was a depressing line of thought, she supposed she loved being hugged by her godfather so much because she couldn't remember being held or hugged as a baby, so, in a way, when she hugged Moony, it was like making up for lost time.

Moony smiled and released her. "You should probably be getting up to Gryffindor Tower. It's getting kinda late, love."

Devyn grumbled and said, "Yeah…"

"You don't wanna get caught by Filch. I remember this one time, I think it was fifth year, Filch caught James and – well, he caught James in the corridors after hours, planning something, and he threatened to hang him upside down in the dungeons by his toes. Crazy old bugger, he is, and he couldn't do that anyway, but the point is, you don't wanna get caught by him."

It didn't escape Devyn that Moony had been about to mention someone else along with James, but she didn't point it out. She was intelligent enough to figure that he had been about to mention Sirius Black.

"Yeah, Moony, I know. Fine, then. I'll see you soon. G'night."

Devyn made to leave but Moony put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a goodnight hug. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. Moony dropped a kiss onto her head and said, "All right, off you go. Have a good sleep. I love you, kiddo."

"Kay. I love you, too, Moony."

Devyn made her way out of Moony's office, down the stairs that led into the DADA classroom and through the door into the hallway. As she walked through the halls, she occasionally passed a student walking the opposite way. Some of them said hello to her, and some ignored her completely, but she wasn't too bothered. Of course, she said hello back to the ones who greeted her, but she wasn't about to waste her breath on the ones who walked right on by.

Luckily, she got back to Gryffindor Tower without running into Filch or his wretched cat, Mrs. Norris. When she got through the portrait of the Fat Lady, she saw Neville passed out cold on the couch in front of the fire.

She smiled to herself and walked over to the couch and leaned over the back.

"Neville," she said quietly, trying to bring him around. She thought it was adorable that he had waited up for her and subsequently fell asleep on the couch. She imagined that the rest of her house mates were either asleep in their dormitories or just goofing around in their dormitories. But Neville, evidently, had been determined to make sure that she made it back all right.

"Neville," she repeated, a little louder, when he didn't respond the first time. She nudged his shoulder a little and his eyes slowly started opening. He blinked a few times groggily before realizing that Devyn was looking down at him, grinning.

"Hello, there, Sleeping Beauty," Devyn joked. Neville sighed and sat up.

"Hi," he said, yawning. "I meant to stay up to wait for you, but I guess classes just took it out of me. I'm knackered."

"Not surprised, honestly. First day of classes always does that."

"Yeah, well, that, and your and Harry's biggest fan was over here earlier, jabbering away like he was interviewing me about you. Wanted to know everything about you, he did. Think he's got a crush on you, or something."

Devyn had to think for a moment before she realized who Neville was talking about. "What, you mean Colin?"

"Yeah. He's got endless energy, that one. But seriously, Devyn, if you don't watch out, Colin will probably be asking for a date next."

Devyn laughed as Neville stood up and stretched. "If you're worried about competition, don't worry Neville. No one is going to come between us. I promise."

"Yeah, well, the last person I'm worried about coming between us is Colin."

"You don't have to worry about anyone, Nev. We should probably get to bed."

"Yeah, I think so, too. Sleep sounds very good right now."

Devyn laughed quietly and they headed for the stairs that led to the dormitories. They came to the point where the girls' and boys' dormitories were split off from one another and they shared their usual goodnight hug before entering their respective dormitories.

When she walked over to her bed, she found Hermione sitting on it, waiting for her.

"Hullo, Hermione," Devyn said tiredly. Hermione smiled and said, "How was your godfather?"

"He's good. Apparently, he was a big hit with the classes he had today."

"That's good. He seems like he'd be a good teacher."

Devyn nodded but it seemed like Hermione was teetering on the edge of asking her about something.

"What is it, Hermione?"

"Oh, um…I just wanted to ask you…" She lowered her voice to little more than a whisper and continued, "Did Neville ask you to Hogsmeade?"

"Shhh!" Devyn shushed her. "They," she gestured to Parvati and Lavender, "could be listening. That's all I need, is them gossiping about us."

"Well, did he?"

Devyn nodded once with a gleeful smile on her face. Hermione grinned and said, "Oh, good…he really likes you, Devyn. I mean…_really_."

"I like him, too, Hermione. He's my best friend. And, yes, I _really_ like him. However, as for right now, I'd like to go to sleep, so may I have my bed back?"

"Oh, of course. Sorry," she said, looking sheepish. She walked back over to her bed and Devyn drew the hangings on hers so she could change into her pajamas. Once she did that, she crawled under her warm sheets and said a quiet goodnight to Hermione before she blew out the candle by her bed and drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 11**

The first week passed without much incident. Moony continued to be a huge hit with the students of Hogwarts. Even some of the nicer Slytherins thought he was great. Although, considering who their last DADA teacher was, this was not an amazing feat.

Then again, they were Slytherins and as such, they were notoriously hard to impress. In other Slytherin news, Malfoy had been moaning his bandaged up arm the entire week.

Devyn highly doubted that the injury was as bad as Malfoy was making it out to be, but because of his injury, he was able to have other students help him with his physical work. For example, in Potions, he deliberately sat next to Harry and Ron and told Snape that he needed help cutting up his daisy roots and skinning his shrivelfig.

So, of course, instead of telling Malfoy to suck it up and do his own work (like he would have done if it were anyone but Malfoy) Snape instructed Ron to cut his daisy roots and Harry to skin his shrivelfig.

Now, Ron (as well as Harry and the others) knew that Malfoy's arm was not that badly injured – not to mention, Madam Pomfrey would have been able to heal that wound in a trice – and was subsequently so angry at this injustice, that he ended up butchering Malfoy's roots (although this could have been done on purpose. Devyn didn't know because she was sitting at the table next to theirs with Neville and Hermione and was very focused on her own potion, a Shrinking Solution – which, incidentally, earned an 'E', which meant "Exceeds Expectations".

For some reason, Snape never gave _her _any grief – only Harry, Ron, and occasionally Hermione and Neville, if that former was being a so-called know-it-all and if the latter had botched his potion. That, luckily, was happening less and less nowadays because Devyn was usually there to give him confidence, but now and then, Neville would still slip up and get heavily insulted for it.

Anyway, when Malfoy realized that Ron had butchered his daisy roots, he told Snape, who in turn forced Ron to swap roots with Malfoy. Now normally, this wouldn't have been a big deal – if it weren't for the fact that Ron had spent the last half an hour carefully cutting his roots to mind-bending precision.

By the time they had exited that Potions class, both Ron and Harry were having trouble controlling their anger. Devyn recommended punching Malfoy – that had done wonders for her anger in first year.

Hermione looked at her like she was insane and then proceeded to implore the two boys not to physically assault Malfoy. Thankfully, they listened to Hermione – although, they weren't really stupid enough to randomly attack Malfoy, so the odds of them actually doing it in the first place were slim to none.

"Does it hurt terribly, Draco?"

Devyn came out of her memories of the past week in time to hear Pansy ask Malfoy about his arm.

"It comes and it goes," Malfoy told her. Devyn rolled her eyes and tried desperately to block out the annoying voice that belonged to Draco Malfoy. "Still, I consider myself lucky. According to Madam Pomfrey, another minute or two, and I could've, uh, lost my arm. Couldn't possibly do any homework for weeks."

Neville glanced at Devyn with a look in his green eyes and whispered, "That's a crock of sh-"

Hermione cleared her throat and Neville cut himself off, realizing that McGonagall was in hearing range. Neville shrugged and looked at Devyn, knowing that she had gotten what he was about to say.

"Yeah, I know. But he'll get tired of it eventually. And you know he's doing it to bait us."

Neville nodded just as Ron said, "Listen to the idiot. He's _really _laying it on thick, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "But at least Hagrid didn't get fired."

Devyn nodded emphatically. As long as Hagrid got to retain his new teaching position, Malfoy could continue this charade for as long as he wanted.

"Yeah, but I hear Draco's father's furious. We haven't heard the end of this…" Hermione said, almost in warning. Although, knowing Malfoy and his fondness for the phrase 'My father will hear about this', it wasn't surprising that Lucius Malfoy was having a cow over the injury.

"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Seamus shouted, running over to them, clutching today's _Daily Prophet _in his hands. But that could only mean one thing…

"Who?" Ron asked, slightly startled from Seamus' sudden outburst.

"Sirius Black!" Seamus replied in the same tone – one that suggested shock, horror, and excitement all at the same time.

Seamus slapped the newspaper down on the table and they all bent over to read it.

Devyn scanned the article; _Sirius Black…escaped Azkaban…murdered thirteen people with one curse….one wizard, Peter Pettigrew…twelve Muggles…was sighted in Dufftown._

"Dufftown?" Hermione said in surprise and concern. "That's not far from here."

"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts…do you?" Neville asked, fear entering his voice. Devyn slipped her hand into his and squeezed. She knew that he was concerned not only for everyone's well-being, but also Harry's considering they knew that Black was apparently after Harry, although Devyn was still sure that there was more to the story.

"With Dementors at every entrance?" a student commented.

"Dementors?" Seamus scoffed. "He's already slipped past them once, hasn't he? Who's to say he won't do it again?"

"That's right…" Bem said. "Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke. It's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

_In other words…it's impossible._

* * *

Luckily, Devyn was able to keep her mind off Black for a little while – her first class with Moony as her DADA professor was next.

When they arrived in Moony's classroom, there was a large mirrored wardrobe in the middle of the room and it kept shaking violently. Devyn looked around at her friends and noticed that Hermione was once again missing. That was really odd because she had _just _been there, not thirty seconds before.

The first couple of times, Devyn had jumped, unaware of what might be inside. Moony had been ultra-careful not to reveal any hints about today's lesson to her, so she had no idea what was in store for her and her class.

"Intriguing, isn't it?" Moony said from the back of the class. "Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what is inside?"

He walked toward the front of the class and smiled briefly at Devyn as he passed.

"That's a Boggart, that is," Dean said.

Moony nodded and said, "Very good, Mr. Thomas. Now, can anyone tell me what a Boggart _looks _like?"

"No one knows," Hermione said suddenly from Ron's side.

"When she'd get here?" Ron commented in confusion. Devyn felt he had a very valid question – when had Hermione gotten there? And why had she disappeared so suddenly? Something was off…

"Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so -"

"So terrifying," Moony finished for her. "Yes, yes…yes. Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a Boggart. Let's practice it now…ah, without wands, please…after me, _Riddikulus!_"

"_Riddikulus!_" the class chanted back at him.

"Very good," Moony said. "A little louder and very clear…listen – _Riddikulus!_"

The class once again repeated Moony and Devyn heard Malfoy mutter, "This class is ridiculous."

Devyn turned slowly and glared at him with such a ferocity only seen in a wolf protecting her pack. And Moony was most definitely part of her pack. Malfoy glared back, but Devyn could a shadow of fear in his eyes.

_Good_, she thought savagely. _Nobody gets to insult my godfather._

"Very good," Moony said, drawing Devyn's attention back towards him. "Well, so much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a Boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain. Ah – Neville, would you join me, please?"

Neville immediately adopted the expression of a deer caught in headlights. Devyn nudged him forward and he hesitated just a bit.

"Come on, don't be shy. Come on…come on," he said, trying to encourage Neville. Devyn knew that Neville was not afraid of Moony, but of failing in front of the entire class.

"Hello," Moony said jokingly when Neville finally stepped forward to stand next to him. "Neville, what frightens you most of all?"

Neville muttered something and Moony said, "Sorry?"

Devyn knew perfectly well that Moony knew what he had said (and she had heard as well) because of his werewolf hearing, but the rest of the class didn't, so that was why he asked him to repeat what he said.

"Professor Snape," Neville answered, loud enough so that everyone could hear this time.

The class laughed and Neville smiled half-heartedly. "Professor Snape," Moony mused. "Yes, frightens all…and I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Yes, but I don't want that Boggart to turn into her either," Neville said quickly. Devyn laughed, knowing just how formidable Augusta Longbottom could truly be.

"No, it won't…" Moony reassured him. "I want you to picture her clothes – only her clothes – very clearly in your mind."

"She carries a red handbag…" Neville began but Moony shook his head.

"We don't need to hear. As long as you see it, we'll see it. Now when, I open that wardrobe, here's what I want you to do…"

Moony moved over to whisper in Neville's ear and said very quietly so only he could hear, "Imagine Professor Snape in your grandmother's clothes."

Neville looked at Moony as though he had just sprouted about five more heads and Moony nodded.

"Can you do that? Yes."

Neville looked entirely unprepared, but Moony had already gotten his own wand out and pointed it at the wardrobe.

"Wand at the ready," Neville got his own wand out, "One…two…three…"

Moony flicked his wand and the doorknob turned and the mirrored door of the wardrobe creaked open – and a very menacing Professor Snape stepped out, looking directly at Neville. Moony moved directly behind Neville and said, "Think, Neville, think."

Boggart-Snape walked toward Neville, every clunk of his step increasing Neville's fear. Devyn worried that he had frozen up but then – "_Riddikulus!_"

Boggart-Snape stumbled and suddenly his traditional black robes became emerald green, a red handbag materialized in his hand, and a hat with an ugly stuffed vulture now sat atop his head.

The class erupted in laughter, Devyn along with it, because she had seen Mrs. Longbottom wear that exact outfit on more than one occasion, and to see Snape wearing it was far too amusing to not laugh at.

Moony's warm laughter rang out through the classroom and he said, "Wonderful, Neville, wonderful!"

"Incredible!" Moony complimented Neville. "Okay. To the back Neville! Everyone form a line."

As he moved to a record player sitting on the table in the corner, every student tried to get into a semblance of a line and Devyn ended up right in front, Ron directly behind her. There was a fair bit of shoving and Moony had to remind them that they were trying to form a line, but all in all, they got it sorted.

Moony put a record on and said, as he put the needle down and swing music started playing, "I want everyone to picture the thing they fear the most and turn into something funny! Next! Devyn!"

Devyn stepped forward, with her fear already in mind. The creature had haunted her dreams for months now and she was ready for it. She knew what she had to do. It'd be difficult, considering she didn't know how dangerous the Boggart form would be, which meant that for safety reasons, she'd close her eyes straightaway.

She stepped up and the Boggart straightened up before shifting into the massive serpent that had plagued her subconscious for months on end. Devyn clamped her eyes shut just as she heard her classmates gasp and shout in fear. She didn't know how the Basilisk would even fit in the classroom, and she wasn't about to find out.

She heard the hissing and instantly images she couldn't forget raced through her mind – being within inches of the foot long fangs of the Basilisk, having to run from the creature with her eyes shut, never knowing if she was about to die…

She started shaking but she held her ground.

_You're not real. You can't hurt me…_

"_Riddikulus!"_ she shouted, her trusted wand pointed straight at the Boggart-Basilisk and she opened her eyes the second the last syllable left her mouth. The Boggart-Basilisk, which had been massive, but not as massive as the real thing, instantly transformed into a small rubber Muggle snake toy and it fell to the ground, utterly harmless.

She breathed in relief and moved toward the back of the line, where Neville slung an arm around her, having already known that the monster she and Harry faced was a Basilisk.

"Excellent, Devyn!" Moony said. "Ron, next!"

Ron stepped forward and Moony said, "Concentrate, face your fear – be brave!"

The rubber snake instantly transformed into an impossibly large Black Widow spider – Ron's worst fear after all, was spiders.

Ron whimpered in terror but pulled out his wand regardless and managed to use the charm, which in turn caused the spider to scuttle about on the roller skates it was now wearing on all eight legs.

The class chuckled at the absurd scene and Parvati stepped forward when Moony called her name. Her Boggart was similar to Devyn's – it was a giant King Cobra – but not quite as deadly in real life.

Parvati transformed hers into a jack in the box and then Harry was up.

Devyn's heart stalled for a moment – what if Voldemort appeared in the middle of the classroom? But then, was Harry afraid of Voldemort? Devyn wasn't sure. She knew he hated having to face him, but she never knew him to actually fear the one people called You-Know-Who.

So what would his Boggart be, then?

Moony seemed to be wondering the same thing because he stopped chewing on his apple to watch Harry and the Boggart – which had now swooped down on him, in the form of the blood-chilling Dementor.

"Here!" Moony shouted and moved between Harry and the Dementor. The Boggart stopped and immediately changed into the full moon. It seemed only Devyn actually noticed it was the full moon (afterwards, people would be asking themselves why their new DADA professor was frightened of crystal balls) and Moony confidently said the charm's incantation and the full moon became a white balloon that was losing air and flying around the room with a loud squeaking sound.

"Right…" Moony turned around and faced the class, still holding his apple. "Well, sorry about that. Ah, that's enough for today. If you'd all like to collect your books from the back of the class…that's the end of the lesson."

The students who weren't able to have a go groaned and Moony apologized. "Sorry. Sorry, can't have too much of a good thing."

Devyn and her friends were about to leave the classroom when Moony said, "Devyn, would you stay a moment, please?"

Devyn, with her back still turned to Moony, closed her eyes in frustration. She wondered if he was going to do this. She wasn't actually sure that Moony knew the monster she and Harry had squared off with was a Basilisk. She couldn't remember ever telling him.

"Sure, Mo-…er, Professor Lupin," Devyn said. Neville smirked at her, having noticed her almost slip-up, and said, "You want me to wait up?"

"No, its fine, Nev. See you later," she said, turning to face her godfather. Neville nodded and left the classroom, which left only Devyn and Moony.

"It was a great lesson, Moony, really," Devyn said, trying to put off the moment where she had to tell him where she had seen the Basilisk from, to even be able to fear it.

Moony just looked at her, like he knew what she was doing. He probably did.

"Alright, alright…I know what you're going to ask me," Devyn said, giving up the charade.

"Devyn, how did you know to close your eyes when the Basilisk appeared?"

"I…"

"Let's be honest, you don't come across Basilisks just in recreational reading, and you certainly don't close your eyes on instinct if you don't know anything about the creature, so how'd you know?"

"You know how the legend of the Chamber of Secrets says that a monster dwells within it…? Well…"

"Oh, no. You've got to be joking."

Devyn shook her head and said, "I wish I was. Believe me, I wish I was."

Moony gaped and said, "A _Basilisk_? Oh my god...and you knew, didn't you? You knew what was down there, and you still went?!"

"Of _course _I knew, Moony! I'm a bloody Parselmouth! Yes, I knew. And yes I still went down there! What, did you expect me and Harry to leave Ginny to die?!"

Moony sighed and shook his head. "No, I didn't expect that of you. Of course I didn't. So what happened down there…with it?"

Devyn refused to answer, only shaking her head in response. She relived the encounter with the Basilisk constantly in her sleep; she didn't need to do it when she was awake as well.

"Okay, fine. You don't have to tell me. But what happened to it? The Basilisk, I mean," Moony asked. Devyn cleared her throat and said, "Dead. It's dead, Harry killed it."

Moony made a noise of understanding and asked, "Are you okay?"

She didn't want to worry Moony, so she said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"You know that worrying about you is in my nature, right?"

Devyn nodded and Moony said, "Alright. So long as you're okay…you'd better run along."

Devyn smiled and nodded before turning away to leave. She was halfway out the door when Moony said, "Oh, and Devyn?"

"Yeah?"

"You did excellent today. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Moony. You know, you should be careful – people might think you're playing favorites." And then with a wink, she disappeared from the door.

"Cheeky little…" Remus muttered to himself as his goddaughter left his classroom. But he had been serious. She had done exceedingly well, especially when one figured that she had her eyes closed from the second that the Boggart started shifting.

He still couldn't believe that his goddaughter had faced off against a Basilisk, which was at least twice the size of the serpent that she had faced in class today. Dumbledore had left out that particular detail…

It made him wonder what else he didn't know about Devyn's previous years.


	12. Chapter 12

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 12**

"Hey," Fred Weasley said, leaning over the back of the couch. George was standing right next to him, doing the exact same thing. Devyn and Neville were currently sitting on it, playing a game of Gobstones. The two of them looked up at Fred and George and said, "Hey, Fred, George. What's up?"

"Well, first off – Neville, George and I heard about your Boggart in Lupin's class. It's gone down in legend, you know. Although, I don't reckon Snape was too happy about it. He's been downright horrible this past week. You noticed that?" Fred said.

Neville and Devyn nodded, having experienced Snape's increased animosity in classes. "Yeah, I was wondering why he was being so mean. More than usual, anyway. That would explain it," Devyn commented.

"Yeah. Also heard about _your _Boggart, Devyn," George replied. Devyn sighed and said, "From whom did you hear this?"

"Oh, some girl in your year. Kind of giggly, bit annoying really," Fred answered.

Devyn and Neville looked at each other and said, "Lavender."

Fred snapped his fingers and said, "That's the one. Couldn't remember her name. So it's true? Your Boggart is a Basilisk?"

Devyn nodded and George whistled. "That's a good one. Although, why are you afraid of Basilisks? You've never faced one off before…have you?"

Devyn grumbled and nodded reluctantly. Fred and George's eyes widened. "You have? But when? Unless…was it…"

Fred gestured vaguely by pointing to the floor. Devyn could easily figure out what he meant. "In the Chamber of Secrets? Yeah. That's the monster of legend. Or it was. It's dead now."

Fred and George both seemed dumbfounded. Then Fred finally said, "I don't suppose we can thank you enough. For rescuing Ginny. Especially now that we know what you guys were fighting."

Devyn waved them off and said, "Don't mention it, really. Ginny's a friend. We weren't about to leave her down there."

Devyn felt like she had said that same sentence about a million times in the past few months. Fred and George nodded and said no more on the matter. "Anyway," George said, "that's not why we came over here. We wanted to tell you about the Hogsmeade trip date. It's on Halloween. They usually announce about a month before hand, so that students can get their plans together."

"Yeah, but we usually like to wing it. Much more fun that way," Fred added, which George assented to with a nod.

"Oh, thanks, guys. That's very thoughtful of you."

Fred and George exchanged mischievous grins and said, "Yeah well, we wanted to talk to you personally, because we heard from a little birdie that will remain unnamed – it isn't that Lavender girl – that you and Neville are going together. As in a date."

"Why are you so interested?" Devyn asked. She also wanted to know who told Fred and George about their date, if you could even call it that. Technically, it was just two good friends spending the day together.

"Well, normally, we'd not be, but –" Fred said, looking at George to finish his thought.

"-but considering you are basically family – you might be our fifth cousin three times removed or something…all the Pureblood families are interrelated – we thought we'd take it upon ourselves to make sure that Neville knows that if he hurts you, he'll have to face us. And your godfather, and Harry, and Ron, and Hermione. And probably our mum. She's very fond of you, Devyn."

"So, yeah, we just wanted to make sure Neville knew that. Have a nice day," Fred said, smiling brightly. He and his twin walked off, leaving two very stunned thirteen year olds behind them. Devyn and Neville looked at each other, not entirely sure what had just happened.

"Alright then," Devyn said, looking down at the small marble like spheres in front of her.

"Dev," Neville said. Devyn looked up at him. "Are you bothered that Fred and George said we were going on a date? Because if you are, we don't have to call it that. I would understand."

"Neville, of course I'm not bothered. Why would I be bothered to be going on a date with you? You're my best friend and there's no one else I'd rather be with, than you."

"It's just… we never actually said it was a date. I didn't know if you…if you _knew _that's what I was asking you. I was asking you out…"

"I kinda figured, Nev. And I'm glad you did."

"You are?" Neville asked, looking surprised. Devyn nodded earnestly.

"Yes, I am. I…this is gonna sound so dumb, but I _like _you. I mean, I love you….but I _like _you, too. If that makes any sense…"

Neville started smiling more brightly than Devyn had ever seen him do. "That's good. That's brilliant, actually, because I like you, too. Like you said, I love you, Devyn. But I…I fancy you."

Devyn became aware that she was blushing and that Neville was blushing as well. She reached out and took his hand in hers.

"Well, that settles that, then," Devyn said, smiling widely.

"Yeah. Yeah, I suppose it does."

* * *

September passed by quickly and soon October took its place, bringing with it colder and rainier weather and Devyn's fourteenth birthday.

On that day, which was a Wednesday, Devyn woke up the usual time she did and started to get ready for her classes that day, smiling to herself about the fact that she had reached a new age. She looked in the mirror as she put on the Moonstone and Opal necklace that Moony had given her two years before; the time had gone extremely fast – it hadn't felt like two years had passed, if she was being honest. And she knew she was rushing time a little, but it would only be three years until she came of age. That was an odd thought.

She brought herself back to the present as she adjusted the necklace's fine chain so that the clasp was on the back of her neck, and wondered how her birthday was going to go. She genuinely wasn't expecting anything special, except maybe a few well wishes from her friends and perhaps a present from her godfather – but when she got downstairs, she was nearly bowled over by someone with bushy brown hair as they hugged her tightly.

"Morning, Hermione," she said, hugging her friend.

"Happy Birthday, Devyn!" Hermione said as she released Devyn from her iron-clad grasp.

"Thanks, Hermione," she replied. Hermione stood in front of her, smiling brightly as she held out a card and a small box. The card wished her a happy birthday and told her once again how much Hermione cherished her friendship. Devyn smiled at Hermione when she finished reading the card and Hermione nodded – no words were needed to communicate between the two of them anymore.

She opened the little box and her jaw dropped when she saw what was inside. Somehow, Devyn didn't know how, but somehow Hermione managed to locate a pin with the Eagles on it, the American Muggle band whose music Hermione got her hooked on.

"Mione… where did you find this?" Devyn asked, taking out of the box and looking at it in awe. It depicted the five Eagles the way they appeared on the back on the _Hotel California _album cover. She'd never even known any to be in existence.

"My parents and I went shopping in London over the summer, and we went into this vintage shop, and there it was, just sitting in a glass case at the register. I was astonished that no one had bought it, and when I saw it, I just knew I had to get it for you."

"This is great, Hermione. I love it. Thank you!" Devyn said, hugging her friend. She ran back upstairs and attached her new pin to her schoolbag, making sure it was secure and perfectly positioned before she took her bag and went back downstairs.

When she got back down into the Common Room, Neville, Harry, and Ron were waiting for her, and that the Common Room was now filling up with some other people, like the Weasley Twins and Katie Bell. Harry clutched a card that was presumably from both Ron and himself and Neville was holding a rectangular box in his hands as well as a card.

Harry handed her the card when she reached the bottom step and wished her a Happy Birthday. He nudged Ron, who cleared his throat and said, "Happy Birthday, Devyn."

"Thanks, guys," she said, opening her card. It contained two messages – one from Harry and one from Ron. They both pretty much said the same thing; they wished her well on her special day, told her how great of a friend she was, and basically thanked her for not giving up on them.

Harry's was a bit more heartfelt than Ron's but she appreciated them both the same nonetheless.

"Thank you, guys," Devyn repeated, giving a hug to each of them. And then Neville stepped forward, a nervous smile on his face.

"Happy Birthday, Devyn," he said, giving her the card and box. She opened the card and read what Neville had wrote:

_Devyn,_

_We've been friends since we met that day in Madam Malkins'. I remember how surprised I was when Gran told you that you and I had been friends when we were babies. Seems like even then we liked being around each other. Since that day, you've been a constant presence in my life and I can honestly say I don't know what I would do without you. So Happy Birthday to you, to my best friend in the entire world. Thank you for sticking up for me and believing in me even when I didn't. You'll never know how much it means to me, Devyn._

_Love, _

_Neville_

Devyn looked up with tears in her eyes and she pulled Neville into a tight hug.

"I love you, Neville," Devyn said. She could almost hear Neville smile.

"Love you, too, Dev," he replied. "Now open your gift."

"Okay," Devyn chuckled, removing the cover on the box. She smiled brightly when she saw what was inside.

There, in a dark wood frame, was a picture of her and Neville embracing. She remembered Colin wanting a picture of the two of them together, for whatever reason. So she had wrapped her arms around Neville's waist and Neville put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her.

Her head was resting on his shoulder and she was wearing the biggest smile on her face, as was Neville.

"Colin showed it to me a couple weeks ago and he asked if I wanted it. So of course I said yes and that's when I thought about how perfect a gift this would be. I thought it'd be nice if it moved so I spent some time with the Potions Club kids, and they taught me how to make the potion that would allow the picture to move. They helped me a little to make sure I got it right, but I brewed the potion mainly on my own…"

Devyn looked down at their smiling faces and laughed softly at the way the wind was blowing their hair. Colin had caught them outside on an unusually warm September day, so their robes were off and they were both wearing the mandatory white shirt and gold and scarlet tie. Neville's was loosened and the crooked smile on his face showed just how happy he was to be there, taking this picture with her.

She saw the look of love in his eyes and wondered how she had ever been so blind as to not notice it. She looked up, still marveling at how she had not seen that look in his eyes, when Neville asked her, "Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? Neville I love it! I love it!" Devyn said. She saw that look in his eyes for the first time in real life and decided then and there that she always wanted to see that look in his eyes. And, perhaps rather selfishly, she always wanted it to be aimed her way.

A sudden urge came over her and she reached out and grabbed Neville's robes and pulled him into a kiss, before she had time to stop herself. Somewhere inside her, Snow howled in delight and victory and her heart started singing. She hadn't realized how much she wanted to do this until she actually did it.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but when they pulled apart, Hermione was beaming, Harry was blinking in confusion, and Ron's jaw was on the floor. Devyn, however, only had eyes for the boy she currently had her arms around, whose expression went from surprised to ecstatic within seconds.

The smile that graced his features was one more beautiful than Devyn had ever seen and he said, "Devyn. We've not even been on one date yet, but will you be my girlfriend?"

Devyn smiled before saying, "Yes. Absolutely and unequivocally _yes_."

The rest of the day, they walked hand in hand, not bothering to hide their happiness from anyone. Moony had been happy for them, if not a little surprised. Hermione was beside herself with delight, Harry was quietly happy for them, and Ron was utterly gobsmacked. Evidently, he'd had no idea that Neville and Devyn were anything more than good friends.

The funniest reaction, however, went to Lavender and Parvati. Immediately upon seeing their intertwined fingers, they started whispering furiously. They had then walked over to the two of them and Lavender said, "So you're dating."

"Yeah," Devyn said.

"Since when?" Parvati asked.

"I asked her this morning," Neville told her.

"How?" Lavender and Parvati asked in unison. Devyn and Neville looked at each other before they too answered in unison.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"


	13. Chapter 13

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 13**

It had been about a week and a half since Neville and Devyn had shared their first kiss and began dating. Things had been going perfectly. In all honesty, their relationship was just the same as it had been, only with more hand-holding and kissing involved.

Moony had already given Neville the customary "talk"; the "Hurt-Her-And-I-Will-Find-You" one. Of course, Neville never had any harmful intentions toward her in the first place, and Devyn told Moony as much, but Moony shrugged and said he figured that much, but, as her godfather, that it was his obligation and privilege to warn any boys that if they so much as touched her the wrong way that they would be hunted down like prey.

"It's my job, Devyn," Moony said, half seriously, half jokingly. "You should know that by now."

Devyn merely rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, Moony, I know that."

She also knew that if Neville ever hurt her – something he wouldn't ever do – Moony would be the least of Neville's concerns. Luckily, he would never need to worry about that, because she had full confidence that he would never do anything to hurt her – at least nothing she couldn't handle herself.

Despite occasional jibes from the Peanut Gallery – AKA Draco Malfoy and his cronies – Neville and Devyn were in bliss. They couldn't be happier. There was something special in being romantic with your best friend. There was no need to impress each other or put on airs, because you already knew each other so well.

Anyway, soon enough, the first Hogsmeade trip came around on October 31st, and they were all really excited. They had heard great things about Hogsmeade from the older students, and they couldn't wait to experience it for themselves.

There was just one unfortunate fact – Harry couldn't go. He hadn't gotten his permission form signed.

And it wasn't from lack of trying, either. Harry had told Devyn that he had asked his uncle, but that was about as good as asking a brick wall to do the hula – and he even tried asking the Minister of Magic when he intercepted Harry at the Leaky Cauldron after Harry blew up his aunt.

Devyn and Neville felt bad for Harry, but there was nothing they could do. And so, there they stood, in front of McGonagall, being lectured about how Hogsmeade was a privilege, not a right, so they shouldn't embarrass the school with any of their antics.

Filch was standing next to McGonagall, taking the permission forms from the students, and when Devyn handed over hers, she was pretty sure that Filch growled at her. She guessed it was probably because she had undermined his authority back in first year. Like he had any authority to begin with…

Devyn just rolled her eyes and walked back towards the crowd of students, hand in hand with Neville.

"Now, remember!" McGonagall said loudly. "These visits to Hogsmeade Village are a privilege. Should your behavior reflect poorly on the school in any way, that privilege will not be extended again."

At that moment, Harry walked up to McGonagall and she looked at him. "No permission formed signed, no visiting the village. That's the rule, Potter."

"Those with permission forms signed, follow me. Those without, stay put…" Filch said, smirking at Harry when he walked by him. Devyn gritted her teeth and tried not to let Filch get to her. She knew why he was so vindictive, but that still didn't make it alright.

Devyn, Neville, Ron, and Hermione all stayed put for a few minutes, to see how Harry's plea to McGonagall worked out. Devyn didn't want to be a pessimist, but she didn't see it going well.

"But Professor," Harry said, "I thought if you signed it, then I could go –"

McGonagall shook her head and said, "I can't. Only a parent or guardian can sign. Since I am neither, it would be inappropriate." Harry's shoulder slumped in disappointment and McGonagall seemed to feel bad or at least sympathetic. She put her hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, Potter. That's my final word."

Devyn felt bad for Harry, as did the other four, but as before, there was nothing they could do.

"Forget about it, guys," Harry told them. "See you later."

They nodded and walked off. Hermione waved goodbye as they did and they walked briskly to catch up with the rest of the group.

* * *

Once Filch finally left them to their own devices, Devyn and Neville split off from Ron and Hermione and went their separate ways. Ron was confused until Hermione smacked his arm and gave him a significant look.

"Oh, you want to be alone. Right. Your date. Right…well, have fun," Ron said, grinning. Hermione rolled her eyes and she waved at them.

"Have fun, you two."

Ron and Hermione walked off in the direction of Zonko's Joke Shop and Honeyduke's Sweet Shop, both of which Devyn and Neville planned to visit later.

And then, at long last, they were alone. They were young, together, in Hogsmeade Village on a crisp fall day with all the time in the world.

"So," Neville said, interlacing their fingers. "Where do you want to go?"

Devyn shrugged and said, "Wherever is fine with me."

"Okay…how about we go to The Three Broomsticks, we get a couple Butterbeers, and then we decide from there?"

"Sounds perfect," Devyn said, a smile crossing her face. Honestly, as long as Neville was with her, she didn't care where they went.

But at that very moment, they set off for The Three Broomsticks and walked hand in hand the entire way. They wanted everyone to know they were together. The reactions they got on the way were funny and completely varying.

Some of the older girls cooed at them, which was a bit weird, and some of the older boys thumped Neville on the back and said 'good for you, mate', while most of the third years they passed either ignored them or started whispering about them.

"What do you think they're whispering about?" Neville asked her as they passed Lavender and the Patil twins just before the doorway of The Three Broomsticks.

Devyn shrugged and said, "Probably just gossiping. Who knows? I learned a few years ago not to listen to Lavender anyway."

"Good idea. She rarely ever comes out with something worth listening to," Neville replied. "Okay. Why don't you grab a table, and I'll get the Butterbeers?"

"Okay," Devyn said. She let go of Neville's hand and went to find an empty table. Luckily, she found one and within minutes, Neville had returned with two glasses full of the delicious and famed Butterbeer.

"Thank you," she said when Neville handed her glass to her.

"You're welcome," he said, sitting down next to her. They both took a sip of their drinks at the same time and their eyes widened when they realized how delicious it actually was.

"Oh my god," Devyn said. "This…this is…wow."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Neville agreed. They sat there, drinking their Butterbeers in relative silence, although it wasn't for lack of anything to say. They knew they didn't _need _to talk around one another. They could be quiet and still be comfortable around each other.

"Okay," Neville said. "So, I'm thinking we should definitely try and go to Honeyduke's."

"Definitely," Devyn agreed. "And we should at least check out Zonko's, right?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Okay, well, that's two places we can go. Do you wanna go up to the Shrieking Shack?"

"Yeah, we could do that."

"Okay…"

* * *

"Hey guys!"

Devyn and Neville turned around, both digging into the Halloween Feast laid before them. They looked around and saw Hermione and Ron making their way towards them.

Devyn swallowed the bite she had just taken and made room for them on the bench.

"Hello. Did you have fun in Hogsmeade?" Devyn asked Hermione as she sat down next to her. Ron took the seat next to Neville and they both nodded.

"Yes, it was wonderful. And you? How did your date go?"

"It went perfect. As I knew it would. We just walked around, you know?" Devyn said, smiling at Neville. "We went to The Three Broomsticks first and got some Butterbeer."

"And then," Neville said, "we went to Zonko's Joke Shop. That was really cool."

"Yeah, it was. And then we went to Honeyduke's. Oh, man, all the chocolate. I could've stayed there forever," Devyn said, smiling as she remembered all the delicious sweets in that wonderful shop.

Hermione giggled and Neville said, "And then we went to the Shrieking Shack. We didn't stay there long, but it was pretty cool."

Devyn nodded. "It was pretty cool. Creepy, but cool. And Neville wanted to go to Dogweed and Deathcap, so we went there."

"That was brilliant. All the different plants…! So what did you and Ron do?" Neville asked Hermione.

"Well, we both went to Honeyduke's and Zonko's. After that, we split off. I went to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop for a bit, and then I spent hours in Tomes and Scrolls."

"Ron? What did you do?"

"Af wen ta Spintwitches," Ron said, his mouth full of food. "An fen af wen back ta…" Ron swallowed the food he had in his mouth and said, "And then I went back to Zonko's and Honeyduke's."

"Sounds like fun. Listen, has anyone seen Harry, since this morning?"

Ron, Hermione, and Neville all shook their heads. Devyn frowned.

"No, I've not seen him either. What do you think he did all day?" Devyn said.

"With any luck, he'll have tried to get some of his homework done. He's falling behind," Hermione commented.

"Oh, leave the bloke alone, Hermione. He'll get it done. You know Harry," Ron told her. Hermione shot him a look but remained quiet.

"Oh, there he is!" Neville said, gesturing to towards the Great Hall doors. And sure enough, Harry was walking through them and started making his way over to them.

He plopped down next to Ron with a half-smile. He looked tired.

"Hey, Harry," Devyn said. Harry smiled at her before starting in on some of the food in front of him.

"So what did you do all day?"

"Oh, you know," Harry said with a shrug. "Just sort of hung around. Caught up on some homework. Spent some time with Lupin."

"Oh, you did?" Devyn replied with a bright smile. She was glad that Harry spent some time with Moony. As it was, Moony was really the only close link to James and Lily Harry had, and Devyn thought it would be good for him to spend some time with him.

"Yeah. He's a really nice guy. I guess I never noticed it before."

"Well, you've never spent time with him before," Devyn said.

"Fair point," Harry conceded. He cleared his throat. "Do you remember how he stopped me from going up against the Boggart?"

Devyn nodded and Harry said, "Right, well, he did that because he thought Voldemort would have been my Boggart."

Devyn, Harry, and Neville ignored the shudders that came out of Ron and Hermione. Devyn genuinely didn't know why Hermione was so terrified of Voldemort's name. Honestly, a) it was just a name and b) she had never gone up against Voldemort before. Devyn had and now that she had, she had even more of a reason to use his name.

Yes, Voldemort was terrifying, but not saying his chosen name out of fear was sort of respecting him, and Devyn would be damned if she ever showed respect to that monster.

"Yeah, well, I can imagine that would have caused a panic," Devyn said. Harry chuckled and she asked, "What?"

"Nothing. It's just…that's what Lupin said, too. You guys are more alike than you realize."

Devyn smiled and nodded. _Far more than __**you **__realize, Harry. Kindred wolf spirits we are. It's a wonder the wolf in Moony hasn't connected with the wolf in me yet._

"And he mentioned my parents. He said my mother was there for him at a time when no one else was. That not only was she a singularly gifted witch, but that she had a way of seeing the beauty in others…when and perhaps most especially when they couldn't see it in themselves."

Devyn smiled when Harry quoted her godfather. She knew exactly what Moony was referring to when he spoke about Lily. Devyn wondered if Lily reacted the same way she did when she found out Moony was a werewolf. By the sound of it, she did.

And what about Devyn's mother, Victoria? How did she react? She'd have to ask Moony someday.

"And he said that my dad had a talent for trouble, which he passed onto me."

That got them laughing. If anything was true, it was the affinity Harry had for trouble. Or maybe the affinity trouble had for Harry.

* * *

After the Halloween Feast, they all started trudging up to Gryffindor Tower like usual. On the way up, Ron was telling Harry all about Hogsmeade.

"Honeyduke's Sweetshop is brilliant, but nothing beats Zonko's Joke Shop. We never did get to go to the Shrieking Shack though. You heard it's the most -"

"-Most haunted building in Britain. Yeah, I know."

Oddly enough, they had to stop walking because the entire group of Gryffindors grinded to a halt and whispers started breaking out among them.

"What's going on?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Probably Neville's forgotten the password again…" Ron grumbled.

"Hey!" Devyn and Neville protested from behind Ron. He must have forgotten that they were behind him.

"Oh, you're there," Ron said, looking at Neville completely unapologetically.

"Let me through, please! Excuse me, I'm Head Boy!"

_And there's Percy…_Devyn thought to herself. He never missed an opportunity to exert his power over them.

Suddenly Percy's pompous tone changed into a more anxious and fearful one, which caused Devyn's internal alarms to start going off.

"Get back, all of you," Percy said. "No one is to enter the dormitory until it has been fully searched."

Ginny fought her way through the crowd and told them something Devyn honestly thought she would never hear.

"The Fat Lady….she's gone."

* * *

**Hey everyone. Firstly, I am so sorry it's taken so long to update. I've had major writer's block lately and it's been a struggle to write anything. Thank you for not giving up on me. As always, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. And also as always, I don't know when the next update will be, but I will try to keep it within a timely fashion.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 14**

"Gone? What do you mean, she's gone?" Devyn asked Ginny. The younger girl looked majorly freaked out and Devyn was getting a little worried herself. She knew that the people in the paintings could sometimes vanish from their portraits altogether, but that wouldn't cause such a ruckus…

"I mean, she's just _gone_. The painting's ripped to shreds. She's just…she's gone," Ginny replied. Devyn and looked at Neville, whose green eyes were wide with confusion and slight panic.

"Serves her right," Ron said. Devyn glared sharply at him and he said, chuckling a little, "She was a terrible singer."

"It's not funny, Ron!" Hermione admonished.

"Keep calm everyone. Ravenclaws, back to your common room. Be quiet -"

Devyn honestly thought the Ravenclaws had no business being here, but she wasn't in charge of them so she couldn't say for certain that they hadn't been told to go there.

"Make way, make way!"

Suddenly Filch's raspy voice could be distinguished from the rest of the panicked din on the staircase and they had to flatten themselves against one side of the staircase and the old caretaker, carrying a lantern, pushed past them, following Dumbledore.

_Good_, Devyn thought, _Dumbledore's here. He'll sort this all out. I hope._

_**I'm sure he will, Devyn, but keep in mind; he's only a mortal man. He can only do so much, you know?**_

_Yeah, but Snow, its Dumbledore…he's handle far worse than this situation before. And plus, he's usually pretty useful in a crisis. _

_**I know, I'm just saying…**_

_I know, I know…_

"The Headmaster's here," Percy said unnecessarily, shaking Devyn from her internal dialogue with Snow.

"Come on, move!" Filch commanded.

"You heard, move!" Percy snapped. Devyn rolled her eyes. She had never liked Percy, but as time wore on, she found herself liking him less and less. He was just so pompous and...obedient. He never questioned anything; he just did what he was told.

It was entirely annoying.

"Mr. Filch," Dumbledore said, running his hand over the shredded canvas of the probably incredibly old painting. "Round up the ghosts. Tell them to search every painting in the castle to find the Fat Lady."

But Filch didn't hobble off immediately like he normally would have done, after being given a direct order from Dumbledore. Instead he turned slightly and said, "There's no need for ghosts, Professor. The Fat Lady's there."

He raised a gnarled finger and pointed at a painting on a higher landing and that caused the entire crowd to start pushing forward with a strength that Percy couldn't control.

"Hey!" Percy said, sounding annoyed. "Mind where you're going! Slow down! You listen, I'm Head Boy!"

"Nobody cares, Percy!" Devyn shouted at him as she and her friends rushed past.

The crowd pushed forward and Dumbledore kept encouraging them until he stood in front of the painting that Filch had indicated. Harry, Devyn, Hermione, Ron and Neville all stood at his side, staring at the terrified Fat Lady with wide eyes.

"Dear lady, who did this to you?" Dumbledore asked kindly, although there was a sense of urgency in his voice.

The Fat Lady poked her head above the hippo she was hiding behind, shaking something awful and said, "Eyes like the devil, he's got, and a soul as dark as his name…it's him Headmaster; the one they all talk about. He's here! Somewhere in the castle – _Sirius Black!_"

With a terrified sob, the Fat Lady ducked behind the hippo once more and Dumbledore quickly said to Filch, "Secure the castle, Mr. Filch. The rest of you, to the Great Hall!"

The throngs of students started making their way to the Great Hall, but Harry seemed to be in a semblance of shock.

And Devyn could understand why…but she was a little more concerned with two things; one, tonight was a full moon, and that meant that Moony would be locked out of the castle for the night. That, in itself, was not a bad thing, but she hated to think of her godfather all alone out there in the Forbidden Forest. When she heard a wolf howl from somewhere in the distance, it tore through her the same way a bullet would.

The second thing that concerned her was that something did not add up. Why would Black attack the Fat Lady? Perhaps she refused to let him into the Gryffindor Common Room, so he went ballistic, but something was peculiar about this situation.

Why, if Black was after Harry, would he attack on Halloween? He had to know that all the students would be down at the Halloween Feast, right?

Unless, and it was possible, he didn't realize what day it actually was? But that didn't add up either. Regardless of whether Black cared about James and Lily Potter or not, October 31st was still the day they died and something told Devyn that evil or not, Black wouldn't forget a date as important as that, which means that in his mind, he would have also connected the fact that October 31st was Halloween.

It seemed like Black timed his attack perfectly, to ensure that no one would be in the Common Room when he was, if he had actually gotten in there in the first place – which he didn't.

A mad mass murderer would not plan his attack to a time when he knew nobody would be around to see him. A mad mass murderer wouldn't care if someone was around because he would just kill them and be done with it.

And furthermore, a mad mass murderer would want to cause as many casualties as possible, so why would Black, a supposed mad mass murderer, time his attack so that no one would be around to see him and therefore no one would be around to get hurt or killed.

Something wasn't adding up and it was driving Devyn insane. A part of her wondered if Black was as really vicious and violent and soulless as everyone seemed to believe he was.

The thoughts plagued Devyn for hours as she lay on the floor of the Great Hall in one of the soft purple sleeping bags that Dumbledore had conjured for them. Her mind would not allow her to rest and that was making everything much worse because she was entirely exhausted.

"Devyn?"

Devyn heard her name whispered very quietly and she turned her head to see Neville staring at her, his eyes wide open.

"Yeah, Neville?" she replied in a whisper. Strictly speaking, they weren't supposed be talking because Percy had announced 'lights out' about an hour ago.

"Do you really think Sirius Black was in the castle?"

Devyn thought for a couple seconds and nodded. Neville inhaled sharply and he reached out for her hand. Their hands interlocked with each other's and they held on as though they were each other's only lifeline as they were drifting out to sea.

"I've searched the Astronomy Tower and the Owlery, sir, but there's nothing there," Filch's voice was heard suddenly.

Devyn and Neville grew extremely still but continued to look into each other's eyes. Devyn knew that they were not the only ones awake, but she could only say for sure that Harry was also awake. The entire situation was probably driving him crazy as well.

"Thank you," Dumbledore replied.

"The third floor's clear, too, sir," said Percy.

"Very good," Dumbledore replied, sounding distracted.

"I've done the dungeons, Headmaster," Snape told him. "No sign of Black. Nor anywhere else in the castle."

"Thank you. I didn't really expect him to linger," Dumbledore said.

_Nor did I, Professor, nor did I_, Devyn thought. From what Devyn knew already about Black, she could tell he was extremely intelligent and therefore would have been smart enough to know that once his attack failed, he would need to high tail it out of there as soon as possible, or he would risk getting captured.

"Remarkable feat, don't you think?" Snape said. "To enter Hogwarts on one's own, completely undetected…"

"Quite remarkable, yes," Dumbledore said, sounding as though he was only humoring Snape now.

"Any theories about how he might have managed it?"

"Many," Dumbledore replied, "each as unlikely as the next."

"You may recall that prior to the start of term; I did express concerns about your appointment of Professor -"

Dumbledore cut Snape off before he could finish the sentence, but Devyn was already shaking with barely contained fury. Snape was implying that _Moony_,of all people, would help Black into the castle! Black was responsible for the deaths of three of Moony's closest friends! Why on earth would Moony ever help Black get into the castle, where he could easily kill Devyn, Harry, Neville, Ron, Hermione, and thousands of other children?

"Not a single Professor inside this castle would help Sirius Black to enter it," Dumbledore told him sharply.

_Thank you, Dumbledore. You tell him. Moony would __**never**__ – not even in a million years would he __**ever**__ – help Black into this castle! _Devyn thought angrily.

"No, I'm quite convinced the castle is safe. And I'm more than willing to send the students back to the houses," Dumbledore said.

"What about Potter?" Snape asked. Devyn's ears perked up. _What about Harry?_ "Should he be warned?"

_Warned? Warned about what? That Black's after him? Too late, he already knows. But no…from the sound of Snape's voice, it's much more than that. The question is, how much more?_

"Perhaps," Dumbledore acquiesced. "But for now, let him sleep…for in dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean, or glide over the highest cloud."

Neville snapped his eyes shut and Devyn did the same, considering Dumbledore and Snape were only feet away from them, standing over Harry. Eventually, Snape and Dumbledore went off and Devyn fell into a fitful sleep.

_Huh? Where am I?_

_She looked around and saw nothing but large trees and a glowing moon – a full moon. Was she in the Forbidden Forest?_

_But that was impossible! She had just been in the Great Hall, lying next to Neville…she had been holding his hand. She looked down at her own hand and felt an odd pressure on it…she was still holding Neville's hand, so she was still in the Great Hall…so this was a dream!_

_She looked around curiously and jumped violently when a voice screamed out, "__**DEVYN! HELP!**__"_

_She started running towards where she thought the voice came from and came upon a horrible sight. A dark figure was looming over the prone figures of two people. As she drew closer, she realized that the two people were not entirely still and that they weren't just any two people._

_One had glasses and messy black hair…and emerald green eyes. Harry!_

_The other had dark brown hair and darker green eyes… Neville!_

_And they were being strangled by the dark figure. She shouted out and fell to her knees near their heads. Their eyes looked up at her helplessly and she tried with all her might to wrench the hands away from their necks but it was to no avail._

_The dark figure was just too strong. She screamed and she cried as she watched helplessly as her boyfriend and best friend and another of her closest friends struggled and finally went still._

"_No…" she moaned. "No, please, God, no….Neville, Harry…please, no…"_

_As Devyn looked into their lifeless eye, the dark figure that had murdered them began to laugh. The deep chuckle grew into a maniacal cackle and Devyn saw red._

_She stood up and tackled the figure to the ground, and closed her own hands around the figure's thin neck. It was then, by the light of the moon, that she saw his face._

_The sound rushed out of the air, but that face kept on laughing. She had seen that face before, on the front cover of the Daily Prophet. It was the same face that had been plaguing her thoughts for months on end; the same face that came with a name that brought a heart-wrenching sadness to her godfather's eyes – Sirius Black._

"_You!" Devyn growled. "You killed them!"_

_He just kept laughing silently. "You murdered them! I LOVED THEM!"_

_A sudden rush of superhuman strength swarmed through her blood and she felt the snap of his windpipe beneath her hands as she crushed it and put an end to his infuriating, albeit silent, laughing. _

_She stood up and suddenly became aware of the tears that had been running down her face. She looked up and stared at the bright white moon. The full moon…_

_**Awooooooo!**_

_She heard the howl and a paralyzing fear made her blood run cold. She couldn't speak, she couldn't think, she couldn't even scream._

_She turned slowly and her blue eyes met a pair of glowing yellow eyes surrounded by coarse grey fur. Her breathing came in short spurts and she could do nothing but stare into those glowing eyes…but those eyes held a shine of recognition in them._

_She was staring into the eyes of a werewolf. But not just any werewolf…"Moony?"_

_Just for a second – hardly longer than a blink of an eye – those eyes changed from the frightening yellow into a dark blue she had looked into many times. But quicker than she thought possible, the eyes went right back to the fluorescent yellow._

"_Moony," she breathed. "It is you…"_

_Moony stared at her and then moved past her and looked down at the bodies of Neville and Harry. He sniffed at them and looked at her questioningly. _

"_I tried to save them, Moony, I swear I did. He was too strong…I couldn't save them. I couldn't…"_

_Moony cocked his head at her and she said, "He did it, Moony. It was him."_

_She pointed and Moony's eyes followed her finger to where Black lay on the ground, his glittering eyes open and lifeless._

_The werewolf crept over to Black and sniffed at him as well – but this time, the wolf looked up at her with a cold fury in his eyes. He howled, and the sound pierced her ears and she could feel her heart pounding against her rib cage._

_The wolf advanced on her and she backed up slowly, sobbing. "I had to, Moony. I had to. He killed them. He killed them…I had to…"_

_But the wolf wouldn't listen to her. All hope crumbled away from her heart as Moony growled and lunged at her. She closed her eyes and felt a searing pain in her neck –_

"Devyn!"

Devyn's eyes snapped open and she found herself looking into the green eyes of her boyfriend. His eyes were shining with terror and she took one look at them before she broke down completely.

"Oh, Devyn, come here. Shhh, come here," Neville said softly, pulling her into his arms.

"Neville…I thought…you were dead…and Harry…it was Black…"

"It was just a nightmare…that's all…a nightmare," Neville said, stroking her hair, trying to calm her down. "I heard you crying in your sleep. You kept whispering 'no, please, god, no'…I didn't know what to do. I'd been trying to wake you up for about five minutes before you finally came around."

Devyn just cried and clung to Neville like he was the only real thing in the world anymore. He just kept holding her and stroking her hair and whispering sweet, comforting nothings into her ear.

"I'm here. I'm here, and I'm not gonna leave you…Black won't get me, I promise you. I won't let him take me from you. And Harry's just fine…look, he's right there, okay? It's alright, it was only a nightmare. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you."

Eventually she stopped crying but Neville refused to let her go. She looked up at him and kissed him, just to reassure herself that he was actually there. She turned her head and saw Harry lying feet away from her, fast asleep.

"We're both safe," Neville said as she turned back to him and hugged him tightly. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Devyn just needed someone to listen, so she nodded her head and said, "I was in the Forbidden Forest...I think…and I was alone, but then I heard someone scream my name so I started running and that's when I saw…" she took a deep breath and Neville's arms tightened around her waist to reassure her. "I saw you and Harry being strangled by someone… I couldn't see his face. I tried to get him off, I tried to save you, but I couldn't…I c-couldn't…"

"It's alright. I'm alright. Not going anywhere, love," Neville whispered and Devyn steadied her breath and continued quietly.

"You stopped moving…both of you…he killed you and then…he just…he started laughing and I was so angry. I tackled him and started strangling him…that's when I saw his face…it was Black, Neville. He killed you and Harry…and I killed him. I killed him and then I heard a wolf howl…I turned around and there was this werewolf right behind me. He went over and sniffed at your bodies and then went over to Black's body. I tried to tell him that Black killed you and I killed Black, but he…he wouldn't listen and he attacked me…but I guess I woke up right when he bit me because I felt this pain in my neck and then I was back in the Great Hall…"

Devyn left out the part about the werewolf being Moony because Neville didn't know about Moony's condition and she wasn't about to reveal it. She trusted Neville implicitly but she had to protect Moony.

Neville nodded and said, "Well, you're safe now. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I promise…you're safe. You're here, you're safe…I'm safe, Harry's safe…we're all…we're all okay."

Truth be told, Neville was just as freaked out by Devyn's nightmare as she was. He had been asleep, but his dream was interrupted when he heard Devyn crying and begging…

When he woke up and saw his girlfriend, tears streaming down her face, whimpering like a small child, it terrified him and it broke his heart. He had to wake her up, but when he couldn't right away, he was forced to sit there and watch the terror fly across her face and tears leaking out from under her eyelids.

He had been relieved when she finally woke up, but she was still terrified, so Neville just held her and comforted her. Whatever her nightmare was about really unnerved her – he had never seen her so broken or so scared…and it terrified him.

And when she told him what had happened in her nightmare, it scared the hell out of him. Black's break-in had scared them all, but it must have affected Devyn more than they realized – probably more than she even realized.

Luckily, Neville calmed her down enough that she was able to go back to sleep, but she asked Neville to keep holding her, a request that Neville was only too happy to indulge. Devyn desperately needed him there right now, and Neville said it himself; he was here, and he wasn't going to leave her.

Not now…not ever.


	15. Chapter 15

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 15**

The following days after Black's break in were fraught with tension and Devyn found herself being a little more jumpy and on edge than she usually was. Of course, no one but Devyn and Neville knew why she was like this.

That nightmare had unnerved her more than she cared to admit, not only because of Black killing Neville and Harry, but her godfather (while in werewolf form) taking a bite out of her after he realized that she killed Black in revenge.

She tried desperately to shake it off, but her nerves were determined to remain frazzled for as long as they could.

"Devyn, are you all right?"

Devyn was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Hermione's voice. She smiled when her eyes focused on her friend, hopefully reassuring her. She knew that Hermione was concerned about her, but she didn't want to tell Hermione about the nightmare she had. She already relived it almost constantly during the day, in her thoughts, since that night, and the last thing she wanted was Hermione having to share in that terror.

"I'm fine, Hermione. I'm just tired...didn't sleep well last night," Devyn told her. _Again_, she thought to herself. Trying to sleep soundly was becoming a hellish practice for her and she didn't know how long her mind could handle the lack of sleep she was suffering from.

Hermione nodded, however reluctantly, and said nothing more on the matter. Devyn went back to her breakfast; luckily, her appetite was one thing the nightmare had not taken from her. Lack of sleep was dangerous enough on its own, without adding lack of appetite to it.

Neville, who was sitting beside her, like always (_my loyal guardian_, she thought fondly), leaned over and whispered, "Maybe you should go see Madam Pomfrey. She might be able to help."

Devyn looked in his eyes and, noting the deep concern there, smiled and held his hand in hers. "I've thought about it, but I don't think she can fix this. I've got to work through it on my own, Nev."

"No," he replied. Devyn looked at him in slight surprise. "You will not go through this alone. I promise you that." The determination and resolve in his eyes was rather startling, although by now, she shouldn't be surprised at the level of dedication he had for her.

She thanked her lucky stars everyday that she had Neville in her life. He was as much a part of her as Snow was, and to imagine a life without him was both impossible and terrifying.

She nodded and smiled at him. "Thank you, Neville."

The simple statement of gratitude took him aback. "For what?" he asked.

"For being you," Devyn told him, a genuine smile lighting up her features. Neville felt a smile just as wide make its way across his face; the last couple of days, he had been missing Devyn's smiles. Normally, they shone as bright as the moon, but the last couple of days, she had been fighting the lasting effects of the nightmare and, as a result, her smiles were rather rare. It was good to see one on her face again, even if it wouldn't last long.

"Have you told your godfather about...you know...?" Neville asked. Devyn shook her head and her smile lessened slightly.

"I haven't seen him in days. He's been...under the weather, I think. Besides, I don't want to bother him with something as silly as a nightmare. People have them all the time."

Neville wanted to argue with her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. There was no point, really. Once Devyn had made a decision about something, there was no changing her mind; especially when it came to her godfather.

"Well, at any rate, we have to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Neville said. Devyn nodded and rose from their seats in the Great Hall.

They walked hand in hand towards the doors and suddenly found their way blocked by Malfoy and his goons.

He didn't say a word; he just stood there, smirking away. Devyn's patience had taken a massive blow as of late and she was about two seconds away from giving Malfoy something to cry about, something much more than his minor injury from Buckbeak. His arm was still in that sling, even though Madam Pomfrey would have been able to heal it in a trice.

"I will ask this once, and once only, Malfoy, because I have very much less patience than I normally do right now, and normally it's not a lot, you know, so: _What. Do. You. Want?_" Devyn told him, her voice telling of the little patience she was in possession of.

He looked down at Devyn and Neville's joined hands and smirked at her. "Why are you still with Longbottom here? Is it out of pity?"

Devyn's lip curled and she growled, through gritted teeth, "I thought we cleared this up in first year, Malfoy. Neville is million times the man you'll ever be, although why I'm with him is really none of your business. Now get out of my way before I really give you something to tell your daddy about."

Malfoy leaned in as he continued smirking. "At least I have a father, Murphy."

Devyn's free hand curled into a fist, and she started shaking with fury, but Neville's hand tightened around hers and remembered where she was and who she was getting angry at.

"I'd rather be an orphan than have a father like yours, Malfoy. Now get out of my way. You're not worth my time."

She and Neville pushed past Malfoy roughly, who was white-faced and tight-lipped with anger. But, like the coward he was, he did nothing, nor did Crabbe or Goyle.

Devyn breathed deeply once they were halfway up the Grand Staircase.

"I'm glad you walked away, Devyn," Neville said. "Hitting him would have only gotten you in trouble. No matter how satisfying it might have been, and no matter how much he might have deserved it, it wouldn't have been worth it. He's not worth it."

Devyn nodded. "I know. I just can't stand him. He's so smug about everything. Feels good to get one up on him every now and again."

"No, I get it," Neville said. Devyn looked over at him and frowned when she saw that he was looking at the floor, his face a storm of emotions.

"Neville, what's wrong? You weren't listening to the nonsense that came out of his mouth, were you?"

Neville didn't answer for a while, but when he finally did, his question nearly knocked the wind out of her.

"Why are you with me, Devyn? I'm not brave, like Harry, or funny, like Ron...I'm nothing special."

Devyn stopped walking and moved to stand in front of him. "Neville look at me," she told him. "Look at me."

He finally raised his green eyes to meet hers and she put her hands on his shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.

"If I wanted to be with Harry or Ron, then I wouldn't be with you. But I don't. I want to be with _you_. And who says you're not brave, or funny? You're both, Neville. You've got more bravery in you than I think you know. And you're funny in your own way. That's better than being funny like Ron. Because you're funny like Neville, and that's what makes you, you. You might think you're not special, but I _wish _you could see yourself the way I do. If you could, you'd see how amazing you are. How loyal, how brave, how funny, and how loving you are. And how I can't imagine my life without you in it. Neville, you mean the world to me and I will tell you that as long as you need to hear it. Okay?"

Neville smiled at her and hugged her tightly. Devyn wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. She listened to the beating of his heart and smiled when he whispered, "Don't ever leave me, Devyn. I don't know how I'd live without you."

"You don't ever have to worry about that, Neville. I promise. Now let's get to class, okay?"

"Okay."

They resumed walking and went the rest of the way in silence, but they didn't need words. The way their fingers laced together said everything that needed to be said.


	16. Chapter 16

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 16**

When Devyn and Neville got to the DADA classroom, she was entirely unsurprised to see that Moony was not there. There was no reason to expect him to be, considering he was recovering from the full moon, but that didn't make her feel any better.

She might have been getting older, but that didn't mean she didn't need her Moony anymore.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Neville asked. Devyn tried not to crack a smile at the fact that Neville wasn't comfortable calling him by his first name. Although…Moony had told her not to call him Moony unless they were alone, so maybe Neville was just doing it as a professional courtesy.

"Well, like I said, he's a little under the weather. He'll be back soon, I'm sure," Devyn said, taking her seat behind Harry. It was a little unusual to see Harry not sitting at the same table as Ron, but their red-headed friend was at the adjacent table, sitting next to Bem.

What was even more unusual, though, was the lack of Hermione. In three years of being Hermione's friend, Devyn had come to know that missing a lesson was paramount to committing murder to Hermione, so the fact that she wasn't there troubled Devyn quite a bit.

However, she had no time to focus on Hermione not being there, because she heard the door creak open and none other than Snape himself walked through it. He waved his wand three times, closing the shutters on the windows silently, plunging the room into semi-darkness.

All chatter ceased immediately. Devyn noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Neville's face had become set as stone, in an expression of both frustration and annoyance. Neville's dislike of Snape was widely known amongst their friends, but that was only because he bullied Neville needlessly. So Neville wasn't a Potions whiz; so what? Everyone had their strong points and their weak points.

Snape had been even worse to Neville as of late, probably because he had found out about Neville's Boggart and the result when he used _Riddikulus _on it.

Devyn never really had a problem with Snape – aside from her resentment of his treatment of her friends – but that didn't mean she was fond of him, especially recently. Ever since the school year started, he had been death-glaring at Moony any time he got the chance.

Devyn didn't understand it. Moony was never anything but polite and mild-mannered; it didn't make sense for anyone to hate him as much as Snape seemed to. But, Devyn had to admit, there were things about her godfather's past that she simply didn't know (perhaps she didn't _want _to know, either), so she couldn't be sure that something hadn't happened between Snape and Moony to cause the Potions Master to hate him so much.

Snape didn't say a word as he lowered the projector screen, but when he finally turned to face the class, he said, in his no-nonsense voice, "Turn to page 394."

Everyone hesitated for only a moment before grabbing their books and opened them to get to the page. When she saw the topic of that chapter, she was both annoyed and intrigued. She was looking down at the creature her beloved godfather transformed into every month; the affliction that had pretty much ruined his life. There it was, in bold, black letters: **WEREWOLVES.**

Snape walked down the aisle between the desks and Harry leaned over the empty seat beside him. He looked up at Snape and said, "Excuse me, sir."

Snape came to a dead halt and looked at Harry with a steely gaze. "Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry asked. Devyn tried not to smile at Harry's obvious concern for Moony. It was sweet that he cared about her godfather.

"That's not really your concern, is it, Potter?" Snape told him, and kept walking. "Suffice it to say that your Professor finds himself incapable of teaching at the present time."

Devyn knew exactly why he was incapable of teaching and she wouldn't be surprised if Snape knew why too. Dumbledore seemed to trust Snape, and Dumbledore would know about Moony's condition, so it was logical to tell the teachers about Moony's condition as well, in case the need ever arose for someone to cover his classes.

Snape reached the podium in the middle of the room and said again, "Turn to page 394." He tapped his wand against the projector and it turned on, lighting up the screen.

Devyn noticed that Ron was taking quite a bit of time flipping through his book to get to the page they were supposed to be on, and apparently, Snape noticed it too, because he flicked his wand angrily and Ron's book turned to the right page of its own accord, in much less time than it would have taken Ron to get there.

"Werewolves?!" Ron exclaimed when he saw the chapter title.

"But, sir, we've just begun learning about Red Caps and Hinkypunks. We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks!" Hermione told him, turning in her chair to look at Snape.

"Where the bloody hell did she come from?" Neville asked, his tone clearly befuddled. Devyn blinked in surprise at her friend's sudden appearance in front of her.

"I've got no idea."

"Quiet," Snape warned her. Ron and Harry looked at each other, helplessly confused.

"When did she come in? Did you _see _her come in?" Ron asked Harry, who shook his head, becoming even more confused with each passing second.

Definitely not for the first time, Devyn got the feeling that there was something that Hermione was not telling them, and although Devyn thought it was perfectly fine for her friends to have their own secrets, she didn't like it – not one bit. Something weird was going on here, and she wanted to know what it was.

Devyn tried to redirect her attention to the screen at the front of the room, on which a picture had just slid into view. It seemed to be a cave painting of a wolf-like figure going up against some people.

_Lovely,_ she thought.

"Now," Snape said, "which one of you can tell me the difference between an Animagus and a werewolf?"

Although Devyn knew the answer, she wasn't going to raise her hand. There was no point, really, because Hermione's hand was in the air before she could even process the question. Also, she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she knew a fair bit about both werewolves and Animagi. That was the last thing she needed.

Unfortunately for Hermione, Snape's back was turned and he didn't see her hand, although Devyn doubted that would have made a difference, anyway.

"No one? How disappointing," Snape commented dryly.

"Please, sir," Hermione said, as Devyn closed her eyes. She should have just stayed quiet; now Hermione was probably going to get some snide remark as to her being a 'know-it-all' or something. "An Animagus is a wizard to elects to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice. With each full moon, when he transforms, he no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if he crossed his path. Furthermore, the werewolf only responds to the call of its own kind –"

Hermione's textbook explanation was interrupted when Malfoy felt the need to demonstrate the werewolf's call by howling.

"Owwoooooo!" Malfoy made the noise and Crabbe started laughing stupidly.

Devyn rolled her eyes and made a noise of disgust. Malfoy was smug about it now, but if he ever came face to face with a real werewolf, he'd soil himself and run away screaming.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said pointedly, and Malfoy smirked. Snape turned his attention to Hermione and said, "That is the second time you've spoken out of turn, Ms. Granger. Are you incapable to restraining yourself, or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?"

Devyn felt a growl rising up in her throat and felt her eyesight shift into 'wolf-mode' (the first thing that changed when Snow was about to make an appearance) and she fought to keep Snow from being unleashed. She hated that Snape was so mean to Hermione, but she couldn't wolf out on him. Not only would she be expelled from Hogwarts, she'd also be in big trouble with the Ministry of Magic, considering she was an unregistered Animagus.

"He's got a point, you know…" Ron commented quietly. While this was all being said, the pictures on the screen kept shifting, going from an Egyptian-like painting of a man confronting a werewolf, to a sort of werewolf version of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, to another cave-like painting, to a scene that depicted, on a vase, one man in armor running away while his brother in arms was half-devoured by a werewolf, to an Indian, or maybe a Hindu interpretation of the werewolf.

"Five points from Gryffindor. As an antidote to your ignorance, and on my desk by Monday morning, two rolls of parchment on the werewolf," the entire class groaned at this, although Devyn did not; this assignment would be a breeze for her; "with particular emphasis on recognizing it!"

"But, sir, it's Quidditch tomorrow!" Harry protested. Devyn thought this was entirely in vain, but credit had to be given to Harry for steel nerve. Not many people would be willing to contest the assignment of a paper, much less when the assignment was coming from Snape. But then again, Harry never did have any problem standing up to Snape...

"Then I suggest you take extra care, Mr. Potter; loss of limb will not excuse you," Snape told him. "Page 394."

Devyn fought the urge to roll her eyes when Snape repeated the page number yet again. Did he really think that they would forget what page to turn to, in the minute that he had last told them? Did he really think they were that incompetent?

_Apparently yes, yes he does..._Devyn thought. _Otherwise he wouldn't keep repeating himself. _

"Now, the term werewolf is a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon word 'wer' meaning 'man' and 'wolf'. 'Werewolf', 'man-wolf'. There are several ways to become a werewolf. They include being given the power to shape-shifting, being bitten by a werewolf, or..."

Devyn allowed her mind to wander as Snape continued lecturing them about werewolves. She didn't really need to listen; she already knew everything about werewolves that needed to know, and she really didn't want to have to listen to Snape going on and on about how they were dangerous, bloodthirsty animals and mindless killers, and blah, blah, blah. She knew it wasn't true and she didn't want to listen to it. If werewolves were only mindless killers, then why would Moony have adopted her? Hmm? It was impossible for a person to be only one thing! Humans were much more complex than that. The only reason that werewolves were ostracized by society was that they did, in some way, pose a danger. Up until recently, when werewolves transformed, they'd lose all sense of their human identity. But now, with the help of the Wolfsbane Potion, the werewolf could keep his mind and just go through the transformation a harmless wolf - well, as harmless as a wolf could be, she guessed. She understood that the Wolfsbane Potion was extremely difficult to make, and potentially disastrous should the brewer get it wrong, but she thought that people should at least give the werewolf population a chance to show everyone that they were normal people too. The only difference between werewolves and normal people is that werewolves are forced to turn into an animal every month, whether they want to or not; and people, who have that glorious choice, elect to act like animals anyway.

As she pondered the prejudice against werewolves, she also thought about the assignment. The only thing that bothered her, about this assignment, was that someone might do the research and put together the puzzle pieces about her godfather. Once you thought about it, it was no great wonder; the scars, the mysterious illness, his apparently constant weakened state, Devyn's sensitivity when it came to werewolves (on behalf of her godfather), among other things; all those separate, seemingly random things…when they were pieced together, they spelled it out clear as day.

Devyn doubted that Ron, Harry, or Neville would figure it out, despite their levels of intelligence; no, the person Devyn was concerned about figuring it out was Hermione…she, Devyn feared, would be the one to piece it together.

She hoped that Hermione, when she did uncover the mystery of her godfather's condition, would approach her about it and Devyn would be able to, hopefully, either steer her away from the idea, or get her to keep quiet about the truth.

Life was getting really complicated.


	17. Chapter 17

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 17**

"Go, Go, Gryffindor! Go, Go, Gryffindor!"

Every student clad in scarlet and gold had been chanting that phrase since the Quidditch game started. It was amazing how the Gryffindors refused to allow the dismal weather ruin their spirits, honestly. The rain was pouring down in icy sheets, the wind was howling against them, occasionally physically moving a few of them, and the thunder and lightning nearly deafened and blinded them in turn.

But today was a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Wood had been going on and on about it every chance he saw Harry, because apparently, Hufflepuff's Seeker and Captain, Cedric Diggory, was extremely talented – almost as talented as Harry. Neville had grumbled when she brought up his name, but Devyn had been hard pressed to figure out why, until Hermione pointed out that most of the Gryffindor girls had been going through fits of giggling whenever Cedric's name was said, because he was, according to Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, "tall, good-looking, strong and silent".

Devyn sincerely wished that Neville would get it through his head that her interest in Diggory was as Harry's adversary, and that was the end of it. But, in order to put Neville's mind at ease, she didn't bring Cedric's name up around him.

That tactic seemed to work because in the days approaching the game, Neville was relaxed and cheerful. And then the game day arrived, and everyone's stress levels skyrocketed. They all wanted to see Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff, as it would strengthen their chances of winning the Quidditch Cup, but Devyn was also concerned about Harry's safety. The weather conditions were definitely less than stellar, and Harry's small stature was causing him to be pushed around, whereas Diggory was heavier, and therefore he had a more stable center of balance on his broom. Normally, Seekers would need to be light and agile, which would have given Harry the edge, but in these conditions, Cedric had the advantage because the wind wasn't able to move him around as much.

"Whoo!" Hermione cheered as a few of the players flew by her. "Go Harry! Whoo!"

Harry had swerve out of the way and perform a barrel roll just to avoid one of his teammates as her broom was struck by lightning and she fell from the sky, screaming. She grabbed onto Neville's hand when this happened and she felt him squeeze her hand reassuringly.

She saw Harry zoom past the teacher's column and up into the sky, presumably following the Snitch and Diggory, who had been following it persistently. Harry's new course of movement caused Devyn's heart to take up new residence in her throat because once he disappeared into the fog…well, she wouldn't be able to pierce through the veil that had now shrouded Harry….unless…

He flew higher and higher, and Devyn's panic forced her to let her eyesight go into wolf mode and, once again, the familiar awareness took over. She allowed all sound to vanish, letting her eyes take over completely. She looked around and found that she could now see across the stadium, and saw quite clearly the strong concern and fear written on McGonagall's face.

All around her, she saw her fellow classmates bellowing out cheers, but she couldn't hear them. She turned her eyes skyward and searched carefully for Harry.

_There!_

She had spotted him at last. He was following Cedric (who was following the Snitch) in a steep climb. Cedric was much closer to the Snitch than Harry was, and when he reached out for it…that very second, a lightning bolt struck the Snitch and it was channeled through the small ball to Cedric's fingers and the electricity ripped through his body, paralyzing his movements and making his hair stand on end.

The jolt of electricity to his system must have caused his hand to lock onto the handle of his broom because even as he tumbled through the sky, down to earth, Cedric's hand never left his broom.

Luckily, the shock wore off and Cedric resumed playing. Devyn thought that was quite the testimony to his dedication and strength, but she had more important things to focus on right now. Her eyes shot back to Harry but not before Neville looked over and saw her eyes glowing green.

"What are you doing?" he hissed at her. Devyn only heard his question because she allowed a tiny bit of sound to trickle back into her consciousness. "Someone could see you!"

"I know, but I need to be able to see Harry. I just want to know he's safe, Neville. And besides, everyone's watching the game. No one's paying attention to me, aside from you, and even if they were, they wouldn't be able to see my eyes unless they were as close to me as you. Don't worry."

Neville sighed and reluctantly turned his attention back to the game. Devyn squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. That small gesture had become their way of saying, _Don't worry. Everything will be okay._

Devyn once again cancelled out all noise and look at Harry, who had turned and stalled to watch Cedric fall. Once he saw that Cedric was okay, however, he went to start flying again…but a large crack of thunder and an enormous illumination of lightning stopped him.

He looked at the clouds, fear written all over his face, and Devyn wished desperately she could see what he saw, but that wish vanished as quickly as it came because the Snitch made a reappearance, right in front of Harry, but sped off before Harry could catch it, propelling her friend back into the chase.

Harry reared his broom around and took off, speeding back up into the sky. Devyn's sight of him was getting blurry. If he went any higher, she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep watching him anymore. She pushed her eyes to keep going, focusing all her energy on her eyesight, praying that her eyes would hold out long enough that she could see Harry get back to the ground safely.

But no sooner did her mind form that prayer that it turned into a severe doubt. It had just gotten about ten degrees colder, but she didn't realize what was happening until a vision of the Basilisk flashed before her eyes.

_Dementors. They're here, _she thought. She started shivering and moved closer to Neville, trying to get warm. It seemed as though she was the only one in the stands being affected by it, but that might have been due to the fact that her senses were enhanced at the moment.

She forced herself to fight the mind-numbing cold she felt and looked back up at Harry, who was still going after the Snitch, although he seemed to be shivering just as much as she was. A stray umbrella whipped past Harry and he took his eyes of the Snitch for just a second, and that's when Devyn saw the first of them.

The first large, cloaked, wretched creature that caused anyone they came into contact with to relive their worst memories. The first Dementor. It glided right past Harry, but he didn't look around in time to see it. He faced the right way around again and searched for the Snitch, but it was gone. That, however, was the least of Devyn's concerns; she saw another Dementor, this one flying behind Harry.

Harry looked around and over his shoulder and when he saw the Dementor, he pressed his body close to his broom and flew harder than Devyn had ever seen him fly. The Dementor behind him persisted and suddenly one of the appeared in front of him. Harry had no choice but to swerve down and to the right. He zoomed up, higher and higher, and then stopped, allowing himself to fall for only a second, just long enough for him to get into a nose dive position, as he hurtled past the two Dementors.

Devyn held out hope that he had actually escaped them and would make it back down to the stadium, where Dumbledore (at the very least) would be able to get rid of them. She held out that hope as long as she could – which was until she saw four other Dementors swarming in front of Harry. One of them got right up close and started sucking something (his happier memories, perhaps) from him.

Devyn seized up in terror as she watched, helpless, as one of her best friends fell from his broom, and started plunging at breakneck speed back to the Quidditch pitch, most definitely unconscious.

At the same exact time, Cedric caught the Snitch and the game ended, but Devyn couldn't care less. She just wanted Harry to be safe.

It wasn't until he was about 50 feet from the ground that everyone else saw Harry falling and suddenly Dumbledore stood up, raised his hand and said, "_ARESTO MOMENTUM!_"

Harry's descent slowed almost to a complete stop, and Dumbledore lowered him down to the ground gently. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey all raced down to the pitch, as did Ron, Hermione, Devyn and Neville. They all reached him at the same time, as did Fred, George, Angelina, and Katie.

Madam Pomfrey demanded that they keep back from Harry, and while they did move to allow her to get him onto a stretcher, they refused to leave his side.

"Does anyone know what happened?" Dumbledore asked urgently. Devyn stepped forward and nodded.

She pointed to the sky and said, "Dementors, Professor. They attacked him."

Dumbledore looked up and saw the swarm of Dementors circling above them like vultures. He once again raised his arm, this time with his wand in hand, and shouted, "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_"

Devyn recognized the charm, as Moony had told her about it before, and watched in awe as a silver phoenix erupted from Dumbledore's wand and dispelled the Dementors from their sight.

"How on earth did you know it was Dementors, Ms. Murphy?" McGonagall asked her, a stunned expression on her face.

Everyone's eyes shifted to her, although Hermione, Ron, and Neville all knew how she knew, and she had to think fast to come up with an excuse.

"Harry never would have fallen from his broom otherwise, Professor. He's too good a player for that."

McGonagall narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but allowed the explanation to pass.

"We need to get Mr. Potter to the Hospital Wing, now!" Madam Pomfrey said impatiently.

"Oh, yes, of course," Dumbledore said, anger and fury darkening his expression. Devyn thought a certain Ministry official would be hearing it from their Headmaster very shortly. "You children go with Mr. Potter. Professor McGonagall, if you'll come with me." McGonagall nodded tersely and everyone dashed off in their separate ways.

As Devyn looked down at Harry's paper white face, she prayed to anyone and anything that might listen that Harry would be alright. She also needed to talk to Moony about teaching her the Patronus Charm, so she would be able to defend herself against the Dementors, should they ever show their horrid faces again.

_Please be alright, Harry. Please_, she thought. As they walked off, she felt Neville take hold of her hand and squeeze gently. She looked at Neville, who looked as though he had just climbed out of a swimming pool, and smiled sadly. He nodded and intertwined their fingers as they followed Madam Pomfrey and the floating stretcher that carried Harry to the Hospital Wing.

One look from Neville said it all.

_Everything will be okay._


	18. Chapter 18

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 18**

"He looks a bit peaky, doesn't he?"

Devyn was ripped from her thoughts when she heard this comment come from Ron. She, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Fred, George, Angelina and Seamus had all been standing around Harry's hospital bed for the last half an hour, waiting for him to wake up. Madam Pomfrey had done what she could for him, and then bustled off to take care of the extremely frazzled and electrocuted Cedric Diggory, who was only maybe ten feet away from Harry's bed.

"Peaky? What d'you expect? He fell over a hundred feet!" Fred told his younger brother.

"Yeah, Ron, let's walk you off the Astronomy Tower –" George started.

"And see what you look like!" Fred finished. Devyn, in spite of the overwhelming concern she felt for Harry, found herself laughing quietly. You could always trust Fred and George to lighten the mood and make you laugh.

"Probably a right sight better than he normally does."

Relief flooded through Devyn like a tidal wave. Harry had woken up. Although she was very happy that he was okay, she was a little wary of how he would react when he saw his broom. The wind had been really unforgiving, and Harry's broom was no exception. Ron was now holding what was left of the Nimbus 2000, wrapped in a Gryffindor banner, in his arms.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Oh brilliant," Harry replied. Hermione handed him his glasses as Fred sat down next to Harry's bed.

"You gave us a right good scare there, mate," he said.

"What happened?" Harry asked, although the question was posed to no one in particular.

"Well," Ron answered, "you fell off your broom."

"Really?" Harry replied sarcastically. "I meant the match. Who won?"

Devyn, who was standing at the foot of Harry's bed with Neville and Seamus, watched in slight amusement as everyone squirmed a little bit. Hermione stood up from her spot next to Harry and said, "Um…no one blames you Harry…the Dementors aren't supposed to come inside the grounds. Dumbledore was _furious_. As soon as he saved you, he sent them straight off."

Devyn nodded her agreement to that. Dumbledore had been livid. They all had been. Even Flitwick had been practically shaking with anger, when he brought around the remains of Harry's broom.

Harry's face fell slightly, and everyone could tell he was really disappointed. It was the first match Harry had ever lost, and it was bound to be hard for him.

"You might as well tell him, Ron. Get it over with," Devyn said, knowing that prolonging the bad news would only make it worse. Ron nodded and Harry said, "Tell me…_what_?"

"There's…uh…there's something else you should know, too, Harry…uh, when you fell…your broom…it sort of…blew into the Whomping Willow…and well…" Ron's explanation ceased and he held up a fragmented piece of Harry's broom, and showed him exactly what had become of his Nimbus 2000.

Harry just stared at the broken broom with something that resembled a mixture of shock and horror. Harry had been awfully fond of his broom, Devyn knew, but there was nothing to be done now. That poor thing was beyond repair.

* * *

After Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a clean bill of health, he was released from the Hospital Wing and came back to Gryffindor Tower with a downtrodden but determined look on his face. Devyn was working on the Werewolf essay that Snape had assigned them when he had substituted for Moony that one time and had just put the finishing touches on it when Harry shuffled over to her.

"Devyn, um…can I talk to you for a second?"

Devyn frowned in confusion, but nodded nonetheless. She put her finished essay away and got up from her seat. Harry motioned for her to follow him to a secluded corner of the Common Room, so she did.

"All right, Harry, what's up?"

"Right…look, Professor Lupin is your godfather and he's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher…"

"Yeah…" Devyn agreed, although she was really unsure as to where Harry was going with this.

"Um…I think…no, I know that I have to learn how to defend myself against the Dementors."

Understanding bloomed in Devyn's mind and she said, "Say no more. I'm going on a walk with Moony…come with us. I know he'll like to see you. You can ask him yourself."

Harry nodded and followed Devyn out of the portrait hole. They walked mostly in silence until they reached the end of the Covered Bridge, where Moony was waiting for Devyn, and by extension, Harry.

Moony smiled when he spotted her. Despite his pale appearance, he looked like he was getting better. The last full moon had really taken a toll on him, and he needed to get his strength back. Walking around in the woods sometimes helped, which was where they were going today.

When Devyn approached Moony, he enveloped her in a tight hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you in months, kiddo," he said. Devyn returned her godfather's embrace and smiled.

"I know. It does feel like it's been months, doesn't it?"

When they broke apart, Moony said, with a smile, "Hello, Harry."

Harry raised his hand awkwardly in greeting. "Hi, Professor."

"I thought Harry could do with some distraction, Moony. He's been a little down since the Quidditch match."

"Ah, yes…Professor McGonagall was telling me about that. Shall we?" Moony replied, motioning towards the woods. Devyn and Harry nodded and the three of them set off. For the first five minutes or so, Devyn had been catching Moony up on what had been happening since she had last seen him, which, admittedly, wasn't much, but she hadn't spoken to her godfather in what felt like ages.

When Devyn had finally relayed to him everything that she thought he needed to know, (including her account of the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff), Moony turned slightly and said to Harry, "I'm sorry to hear about your broomstick. Is there no chance of fixing it?"

"No," Harry said, sounding glum. They waded through the ferns and foliage as Hedwig soared overhead. Somehow she figured out where Harry was, and decided to act like a guardian to him. Even Hedwig knew that Harry needed her just now.

"Professor, why do the Dementors affect me so? I mean, more than everyone else?"

"Listen," Moony said, turning around fully and looking at Harry. "Dementors are amongst the foulest creatures to walk this earth. They feed on every good feeling, every happy memory, until a person is left with absolutely nothing but his worst experiences. You are not weak, Harry."

And there it was. That was the root of Harry's difficulty. He feared that he was weaker than everyone else, because he kept passing out whenever the Dementors got a hold of him. Moony climbed on top of a rock and Devyn followed him as he said, "The Dementors affect you most of all because you have true horrors in your past, horrors your classmates can scarcely imagine. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Devyn smiled to herself. This was exactly why she wanted Harry to come with her to go on this walk with Moony; her godfather had a way of knowing exactly what someone needed to hear, especially when they were at their lowest. And right now, Harry was struggling with the notion that he might not be strong enough to fight the Dementors, which was complete nonsense. If anyone would be able to defend themselves against the Dementors, it would be Harry.

"But…I mean, Devyn was there with me when I fought Quirrell and Voldemort. She was there when we fought the Basilisk. She's seen most of the horrors I have, and she's not nearly as affected as me when the Dementors come around."

"Well, to be fair, Harry, they've never actually attacked me. I've been near them, but they've never attacked me before," Devyn told him. Harry nodded and shrugged.

"I'm scared, Professor," Harry said.

"Well, I'd consider you a fool if you weren't," Moony replied.

"I need to know how to fight them. You could teach me! You made that Dementor on the train go away."

Moony stopped near an abnormally large tree and said, "There was only one that night."

"But you made it go away," Harry told him, sounding extremely scared and desperate. They walked up a small hill and looked out over the water of the Black Lake when they reached the top.

"Well, I don't pretend to be an expert, Harry. But, as the Dementors seemed to have developed a particular interest in you, perhaps I should teach you. And Devyn as well. Strength in numbers, and all that. But after the holidays. For now, I need to rest."

Devyn smiled up at her godfather and he returned the cheery expression, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She was glad that the full moon had passed for another month. She really did hate that her godfather had to go through that torture every month, but there was nothing she could do. Sometimes she wished that she could tell him about her being an Animagus, and then maybe she could keep him company during the full moons.

_**Moony would never go for that, and you know it, Devyn.**_

_I know, Snow. I know. But a girl can dream, can't she?_

_**Yes, but just be careful. Sometimes dreams become so powerful that they can alter your way of seeing reality. **_

_When did you get so deep?_

_**Ha ha, very funny. I'm serious. Don't go running after him some full moon. You might end up getting hurt. **_

_Werewolves aren't a danger to animals, Snow. _

_**As far as infecting them goes, no, they aren't. But that**_ _**doesn't mean he won't attack before you can get through to his wolf side. **_

_I have to tell him sometime. If I don't, there might come a time when I transform by accident and he'll find out that way. I'd rather him find out through me, not through some unfortunate incident. _

_**I know. I'm just saying…**_

_Yeah. I understand, Snow. I just hate keeping secrets from Moony. _

* * *

"Sweet Merlin!"

"Devyn? Are you alright?" Hermione asked, concernedly, stroking Crookshanks. She had been trying to keep him in the Dormitory at the stubborn demand of Ron – really she had, but Crookshanks was a cat, and Ron just had to understand that cats chase rats. Hermione doubted Crookshanks would actually harm Scabbers, but Ron was well within his rights to be worried about his own pet's safety. She was sitting on her bed in the Girls' Dormitory, and Devyn had been feeling a bit off, so she went to the bathroom. What she had found…she wasn't happy with.

Devyn did what she could for the moment and exited the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked when she saw her friend. Devyn nodded and jerked her head at Hermione, as if to say _'Come here, please'_. Hermione arched an eyebrow and walked over to Devyn.

"What?"

Devyn, luckily, knew exactly what was happening. She remembered this happening to older girls back in the orphanage and she remembered the experience being extremely unpleasant – and that was only her experience, from being on the outside, watching these girls go through this. It looked like they would rather die.

Devyn wrapped an arm around her own waist, in an effort to contain the pain that was currently surging through her lower stomach.

"Er…Hermione…I've started…um…I've…"

Hermione watched her squirm, trying to explain it, for a few seconds before comprehension blossomed in her mind. "Oh!" she said, nodding. "Oh…I see. Well, let's go see Madam Pomfrey. I'm sure she's got something."

Devyn nodded, hoping that's what Hermione would suggest. She and her friend left the Dormitory and quietly slipped out of the Common Room. After being in Hogwarts for a few years now, she and Hermione knew a few shortcuts; one of them being a shortcut to the Hospital Wing.

As she and Hermione walked through the shortcut, Devyn breathed in deeply, trying to ease the pain that was slowly making its presence very known. "Hermione?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Have…have you, er, started your monthly yet?"

"Oh, uh…yes, I have. I started over the summer. It was awful, so you'd better prepare yourself. The last few haven't been too bad though. The cramps are the worst part, for me, anyway. It might be different for you. Every girl is different when it comes to their monthly."

"How do you know all this?"

"My mother sat down with me one day and told me all about it. It was horrible, having that talk. But I'm glad I was prepared for it. I'm guessing yours was a surprise?"

Devyn shrugged. "Sort of. I mean, I figured it was coming soon, I just didn't know when, you know?"

Hermione nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"My stomach is really starting to hurt…"

"That would be the cramps. Like I said, those are probably going to be the worst, especially at first. Don't be surprised if you actually get sick. I did. They were that bad…"

"Wonderful. This sounds like it'll be oodles of fun!" Devyn said, her voice oozing with sarcasm. Hermione laughed and said, "Welcome to womanhood, Devyn."

Devyn's only response was to grumble.

Finally, at last – at long last – they got to the Hospital Wing. When Madam Pomfrey saw the two of them, she raised her eyebrows and said, "Please tell me you haven't hurt yourself yet again, Ms. Murphy?"

"Er…no, Madam Pomfrey…erm, it's…I mean, I've started…I've started my monthly," Devyn stammered out. It was embarrassing, having to tell Madam Pomfrey that, but she was a nurse, and she'd been here for ages – she'd probably seen a million different girls go through exactly what she was going through now.

"Oh, of course, dear. Come with me," Madam Pomfrey. Hermione looked at Devyn and let her know with her expression that she would wait for her here. Devyn nodded and thanked Hermione with a smile before she followed Madam Pomfrey into her office. She sat down behind the desk, and motioned for Devyn to take the seat on the other side of the desk. Devyn did and curled herself up into a ball, trying to suppress the cramps in any way she could.

"Now," Madam Pomfrey said, "first things first; I know this is highly embarrassing for you, Devyn, but I assure you, there's nothing to be ashamed of. It's all part of growing up."

Devyn nodded and Madam Pomfrey continued, "I have plenty of supplies for these types of things, and I'm going to teach you a little trick I know. But first – how are you feeling? Any pain?"

Devyn nodded and said, "My stomach really hurts and my lower back is kind of sore."

Madam Pomfrey smiled and said, "Okay. I'll get you something for that." She left the room and Devyn suddenly realized how exhausted she was. She supposed that was part of the whole monthly thing. So far, it wasn't that bad. It hurt, sure, but it was bearable. Cramps, sore back muscles, and tiredness; that Devyn could handle.

Madam Pomfrey came back into the room, a small vial of purple liquid in her hand. She sat back down in her seat and said, "All right then. So, Devyn, this," she shook the bottle lightly, "is going to help with the cramps and sore muscles. It'll dull the pain. It will also help with nausea. Do you feel nauseous at all?"

"Not really, but I have a feeling that the cramps are only gonna get worse, so nausea could pop up soon. I don't know."

Madam Pomfrey handed it to her and she took a sip of the concoction. It didn't taste like anything, for which Devyn was grateful. She was glad it didn't taste gross or anything.

"Well, if it does, this will help. That takes care of that. Now, onto actually managing your period. I don't think you should use tampons just yet. We'll start you off on pads."

"Okay," Devyn said. She vaguely recalled what both of those were, but her memory was hazy, at best.

"So, these are pads," Madam Pomfrey held up a package wrapped in plastic, with the brand name splashed across the front of it. The package proclaimed the things inside to have wings, which evidently helped them stay put in your underwear. The idea seemed simple enough, and Devyn figured that she could work it out without much trouble.

"Do you think you can figure it out, or would you feel better if I showed you how to put them in?"

"I think I can figure it out, Madam Pomfrey, but thank you," Devyn replied. Madam Pomfrey smiled and said, "Very well. Now, onto the little trick I told you about."

She stood up and took the package of pads. "Eventually, you're going to run out of these. When this happens, you could either come see me and I'll replenish your supplies, or…well, I could teach you a spell that would allow you to duplicate the package and that way, when you run out of one, you'd have another package there and you could just keep duplicating them. Which would you rather prefer?"

Devyn thought about it for a second. She loved to learn new spells, so what was the harm in learning this spell Madam Pomfrey was talking about?

"I'd like to learn the spell, if I could."

"Very well. Keep in mind; this is a difficult spell, but you, along with your friends, have accomplished some amazing things…something tells me that you will be able to master it."

Devyn nodded and Madam Pomfrey said, "It's called the Doubling Charm."

"Okay."

"What you have to do is focus completely on the object, flick your wand at it, and say the word '_Geminio'._"

"That's it?" Devyn asked. She thought it was going to be more difficult than that.

"It sounds simple…well, why don't you just try it? See if you can do it?"

Devyn looked at the package of sanitary napkins and pulled her wand out from inside her pocket. She slowly stood up, glad that the purple stuff had taken effect and that the pain in her stomach had dulled. She focused on the package, eliminating everything else from her sight and seeing only the plastic wrapped object in front of her. She flicked her wand at it and said, "_Geminio_."

A millisecond before, where there was only one package, there now was two. Madam Pomfrey smiled and said, "Well done. Just do that every time you run out of one package, that way, you'll never be caught without them."

Devyn nodded, understanding the logic in that. After a few more minutes and a little bit more explanation of what else was going to be happening to her, Madam Pomfrey let her go back to Hermione.

Devyn was a little embarrassed about the talk that had just transpired, but she was glad that she had that particular talk with someone she was comfortable around. Madam Pomfrey once put her skull back together – there were only a few adults that Devyn trusted as much as she trusted Madam Pomfrey (which included Moony, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid) – so she was glad that she didn't have to have that conversation with someone she didn't trust.

Devyn went back to Hermione and the two of them took the two packages of pads. Hermione took one and hid the name with her arms, and Devyn followed her example. The fewer people who knew what was happening with her, the better. It was no one's business but her own.

As they walked along the shortcut passageway that would deposit them right near the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, which was now being guarded by a completely mad painting of a knight named Sir Cadogan and his fat dapple grey pony, Hermione looked like she was plucking up the courage to ask her about something.

"Got something on your mind, Hermione?" Devyn asked her. She looked at her friend and raised her eyebrows, telling her to just come out with whatever she needed to ask.

"Oh, um…it's just…I think…how well do you really know your godfather, Devyn?"

Devyn frowned at Hermione and said, "What do you mean?"

"Well…see, when I was doing the essay that Professor Snape set us when he was substituting for Professor Lupin…I noticed certain several…things that I thought I should ask you about…um…Devyn I think your godfather is –"

Devyn stopped walking and that caused Hermione to cease talking. She now knew what this was about.

"D-Devyn?" Hermione stuttered. The look on her face was giving Hermione pause. Devyn's expression reminded Hermione of a few occasions during first year when Snape was bothering Neville, and Devyn stared the Potions Master down, letting him know that she would not allow him to bully her friend. It was a rather frightening expression.

"I am going to tell you this once, Hermione, so I suggest you'd better listen," Devyn said, looking Hermione dead in the eyes. Hermione nodded and Devyn continued, "Drop it."

"But –"

"But nothing, Hermione. I know what you're getting at, and I'm telling you to _drop it_. This is **none **of your business, alright?"

"Is he?" Hermione asked. "Is he…?" Hermione mouthed the word _werewolf_.

"Hermione, whether he is or not, is none of your concern. What you're asking me, Hermione…it seems you have reached the destination of _**none of your bloody business**_. I'm not trying to be mean, Hermione, but…"

"If he is, people need to know! He might be dangerous!"

The dark expression on Devyn's face made Hermione want to disappear into the floor. "Hermione, I will say this once and only once, and you'd do well not to say that to me again. My godfather is not a danger to anyone. I know what you're concerned about, and whether he is or not – I'm not confirming nor denying your suspicions – is not something you need to be worried about."

"He is, though, isn't he? And you know! You know what he is -!"

"_**Enough**_!" Devyn snapped. Hermione squeaked and fell silent. "Enough. What Moony is or not is **not your business**, so for once in your life, Hermione, keep your mouth shut. Don't tell anyone what you suspect. Are we clear? If you tell anyone, you could create a lot of grief for Moony, and that's the last thing that he needs."

"I won't tell anyone, Devyn, I swear. I like Professor Lupin. I really do. I don't want to get him in trouble. I just wanted to know…"

"I understand Hermione, but what _you _have to understand is that what you're asking me to tell you is an extremely delicate matter. I will protect my godfather as much as I can, even from my friends. This is something I cannot tell you. Suspect all you want, but don't say a word. I'm sure you've done your research on werewolves…you know how society reacts to them, or even just the threat of them. He's a good man, and he doesn't deserve to be cast out like that. Do you understand?"

Hermione nodded and Devyn exhaled slowly. "I trust you, Hermione. Don't make me regret that."

"I won't, Devyn. I promise."

"Thank you, Hermione."

"The way I see it, this is just like Snow. No one has to know," Hermione said. Devyn smiled and dared to hope that Hermione kept her promise. She wanted to believe that Hermione would, but when it came to Moony, she was extremely cautious.

She needed to be. She wouldn't let her godfather be hurt anymore – especially not if she could prevent it.


	19. Chapter 19

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 19**

As the colder days came rolling in, Devyn (not for the first time) wanted to try and get out of the castle at night and transform into Snow. She just wanted to run.

Tonight wasn't a full moon, so Devyn would not have to be worried about Moony making an appearance…

The only thing she would have to be worried about was getting out the castle. And the Dementors. However, she figured, once she was Snow, the Dementors wouldn't be able to detect her as well. She had done a bit of reading up on those wretched creatures, and she now knew that they were blind, and instead relied on their sense of smell and their ability to sense emotions to find their way around.

One would be foolish, however, to think that because they couldn't see, they weren't intelligent. In fact, they were even more intelligent without their sight, because then they wouldn't be fooled by appearances. It was like Dumbledore had said at the beginning of the year: _they will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one that gets in their way._

Dementors were, by nature, exceedingly cruel and unfeeling. It was fitting, perhaps, that creatures that fed off of emotions had none of their own. Fate's way of sticking it to those horrid things.

Devyn knew she would have to be very, _very _careful to avoid the Dementors, but if she was quiet enough and cautious enough, the Dementors would never have to know that she was outside with them.

Her wish to run around outside under the light of the quarter moon was, admittedly, foolish, but she wanted to be irresponsible, just for one night. She was always thinking, always the careful one…just for once she wanted to let go and have a bit of fun.

And so that night, it was with great caution that Devyn quietly snuck out of the Gryffindor Common Room and made her way to the most secluded exit out of the castle she knew. She was smart enough to know that it would be in her best interest to use the shortcuts. The teachers would be patrolling the main corridors, looking for rule-breakers, but evidently they wouldn't think to search the shortcuts.

Why this was, Devyn did not know. Nor did she care, to be honest. If she met McGonagall or Snape, it was over. Even worse, if she met Moony in the hallways, she would have let him down, and that would deal a serious blow to the trust he had placed in her.

No, it was better for everyone that she stayed away from the main corridors. She crept through the shortcut hallways as Snow, using her enhanced senses to keep herself wary of any approaching people. Her vision was a great help as of this moment because the encroaching winter's nights were darker than dark, so much so that the shadows seemed to be closing in on her every second.

It was not a pleasant feeling, although she guessed the creeping shadows had more to do with the Dementors than anything else. She moved silently through the secretive corridors, glad that her paws made no sound when they came into contact with the stone floors. She wondered why this was; surely her claws would have clicked when they hit the floor?

_Never mind_, she thought. _It doesn't matter. Stay focused. _

She crept through, making her way to her target exit, and when she finally reached it and slipped past the Dementors that were standing guard, she breathed easier. It was lucky that the Dementors were looking for a human target…now that she was Snow, all white fur, green eyes, and canine musculature, the Dementors would look right past her, so to speak.

Once she was far away from any of their creepy guards, she let loose and started running around, frolicking even. She was just so happy to be outside. It was cold, yes, but her fur kept her warm. She ran as fast as she could, rolled around in the frosty grass, and did whatever else occurred to her fancy.

Once she had had her fill of running around, she lay down in the grass and rested her head on her paws. She had gotten bigger as of late, stronger, faster, and more muscular. It was strange, considering the last time she had really transformed was to show Neville that she was an Animagus, but that she wasn't dangerous – at least, not to him – and then she had been much smaller and much less in control of her own abilities.

But time had passed, and she had gotten older…it was only natural that she would have changed, even if it was only a little bit.

She was just lying on the grass, looking up at the bright quarter moon, when she heard something behind her and froze. It sounded like…a paw…crunching on the grass. The animal that the paw belonged was neither as graceful nor as cautious as Devyn, but that couldn't be held against him or her. It was entirely possible that it was a baby, still unsure of its steps.

_No, _she thought, _that's not a baby. The steps were much too heavy to be that of a baby's._

Devyn's spine straightened, and she stood up to face whatever was behind her. The fur on her back stood on end and she growled lowly but clearly when she laid eyes on the creature. He was bigger than her, but not by much. He was thin, bony…but looked very fast. Devyn guessed, however, if she had to take him on in a fight, she could do it. She knew she was much stronger than him, judging by the way his skin moved along his skeletal frame.

The creature, whose fur was as black as the night itself, returned her growl, but Devyn guessed this was only to show that he was not inferior to her and that he would not be bullied into slinking away.

As she growled again, and started circling the creature, who watched her with calculating yellow eyes, she wondered if it would be possibly to communicate with the animal who stood before her.

_Can't hurt, _she thought. Getting herself into Snow's state of mind, she allowed the essence of the wolf to take over her mind and she became Snow through and through.

_**Who are you? **_she asked the creature, never stopping her circular motions.

_Stop moving around me, and I'll tell you_, the creature replied.

Pausing only to marvel at the fact she had communicated with him, she replied, _**Fat chance of that happening. It would be better for you to just tell me.**_

_I'm not about to reveal my identity to someone who clearly is a threat. I'm not that stupid._

_**If you were as smart as you seem to think you are, you would have stayed away from me. Now who the hell are you?**_

The dark creature before her wore an expression that looked almost like a smirk, and it irritated Snow to no end.

_The only reason I even came anywhere near you is because I was curious. It's not often one sees a white wolf on the Hogwarts grounds. I must admit…you're quite stunning. Your eyes…beautiful…but you seemed familiar to me somehow._

_**And how would that be? I've never seen you before in my life.**_

The black dog, for that was what Devyn guessed he was, as ragged as he looked, inclined his head, understanding the logic in her statement. He wasn't unintelligent, that much was obvious.

_I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. _

_**Look, I'm not interested in how you think you know me. I just want to know who the hell you are. **_

_You tell me your name, I'll tell you mine. Deal?_

_**Fine. You first.**_

Snow knew he was trying to play games with her, and she wasn't going to cave under his wit.

_Well, you certainly aren't going to make this easy, are you?_

_**Give me one good reason why I should make it easy. I don't know you. I don't owe you anything. I don't have any reason to make this easy. Now tell me your name.**_

_Fine. It's Padfoot. You can call me Padfoot._

Snow froze her circling of the dog named Padfoot. She knew that name. She knew it. McGonagall had spoken to her once, what seemed like a million years ago, in her room at the orphanage.

"_James was Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, Peter was Wormtail, and Remus was Moony."_

_And your name? _Padfoot asked.

_**Snow. My name is Snow. And I know who you are. Who you really are…Sirius Black.**_

Padfoot stopped smirking and his facial features froze and morphed into a fearful, shocked expression.

_H-How…how do you know that? How do you know who I really am? Who told you?_

_**Wouldn't you like to know?**_

Padfoot growled menacingly and Snow heard his voice enter her mind. She had to admit, he was slightly frightening, but she refused to bow under him. She stood her ground stubbornly.

_Listen up, Snow. You will tell me how you know my real name, and you will tell me now. _

_**Or what?**_

_Or you'll regret it._

_**Oooh, I'm shaking with fear. Please, look at yourself. Do you really think I couldn't outrun you? Do you really think I couldn't fight you and win? Let's be honest here, Black. You're formidable, certainly. Insane, yes. But am I scared of you? Not one bit. I know why you're here…you want Harry. **_

_You know Harry?_

_**I don't see how that is of any importance, but yes, I do. And you will not get him. Do you understand? You've already made his life a living hell. Don't make it any worse.**_

_What? What do you mean? I've made his life a living hell? How?_

_**Are you really that stupid? Everyone seems to think that you're out to murder Harry, and because of that, there are Dementors at every entrance, here to protect not only the school and its students, but Harry as well. From you. **_

_I'm not -!_

_**You're not what? Out to murder Harry? Please…everyone knows you are. Killing him won't bring Voldemort back you know. **_

_Hold it! Hold it right there. I don't want to murder Harry! I'm trying to protect him! And I certainly don't want Voldemort back! He killed my best friends! Because of him, I've lost everyone I ever cared about! James, Lily, Michael, Victoria…and Remus. Remus thinks I'm a murderer and a traitor. _

_**He thinks that because you are! And don't you dare speak his name. You don't have the right to say Moony's name! Nor my parents' names!**_

_What?_

In that instant, Devyn knew the jig was up. Black was exceedingly smart. He would figure out who she really was.

_What do you mean…your parents? Who…? Michael and Victoria? They only had one child…a girl…named Devyn…but she died in the explosion…_

Devyn stared at him, silent. It would only be a matter of seconds before he found out who she was. No point in running away now. And Devyn had a feeling that there was more to Black than what met the eye. If he had truly been after Harry, he would have just killed her when she told him she knew who he really was. Instead, he had asked how she knew, and tried to convince her that he wasn't after Harry.

If he was a murderer, and wanted Harry dead, why wouldn't he have just killed Devyn in order to keep her quiet? It wasn't a secret that Black was loose on the grounds of Hogwarts. But where had he been hiding?

Black raised his yellow eyes to hers and they widened when the realization hit him.

_Devyn? Is that you? But you're supposed to be dead! I thought…Bellatrix and Dolohov…they killed you and your parents. James and Lily told me! They told us all that you were dead!_

_**Sorry to disappoint, Black, but as you can see I'm not dead. And don't bother asking me how I survived because I'm not going to tell you. I don't care that you know I'm alive. Stay away from me, and stay away from Harry. Are we clear? **_

_Please, don't tell anyone you saw me. Please? They can't know…_

_**Black, everyone knows that you're loose on the grounds somewhere. I don't know where you're hiding, so even if I did tell anyone, I wouldn't know how to find you. Tell you what…I'll make a deal with the devil, shall we say. You stay away from Harry, me, and my friends, and Moony, and no one ever has to know that I saw you tonight. Do we have a deal?**_

_Yes, okay, but listen! There are things you don't understand, Devyn. Things I'm still trying to work out, and I've had twelve years to think it over! I don't expect you to believe me, but try…try to have faith in me. I'm not trying to kill Harry. I've never wanted Harry dead. I am __**trying **__to protect him. _

_**Protect him from what?**_

_Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew. He's alive. He's the one you should be worried about, not me. He's the one who wants Harry dead, not me!_

Devyn unleashed a laugh that sounded much more like a bark, and scoffed. _**How stupid do you think I am? Pettigrew's dead. You killed him. Now look, I don't want you to explain why you need me to believe you're here to protect Harry. You're a liar and a traitor. All I want is for you to stay away from the people I love. You've done enough damage already. Keep your distance, and our deal remains intact. It's as simple as that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back inside. If you try to follow me, I will rip your throat out, Black. Make no mistake; I will kill you if I have to.**_

And with that, Devyn walked away from Black, leaving him there with a stunned expression on his face. Once Devyn was sure she was far enough away, she ran back to the castle as fast as she could, her heart racing a mile a minute. She didn't stop until she reached the entrance to the castle that she had used before. She snuck past the Dementors once again without a hitch and made her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

She transformed back into her human form and uttered the password quietly that would allow her into the Gryffindor Common Room. Thankfully, Sir Cadogan was slumped against his pony, fast asleep; her being allowed into the Common Room was not dependent on Sir Cadagon's consciousness.

As she quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed into her extremely comfortable bed, she mulled over what had just happened. She had just come face to face with Sirius Black, the man who had broken out of Azkaban with the sole purpose of killing Harry, one of her best friends and brothers in all but blood.

But once again, the pieces of the puzzle didn't fit. She knew she should tell Dumbledore she saw Black, but what good would it do? After tonight, Black probably wouldn't be seen again, and even though she had his scent, Devyn was not good enough at tracking to be able to follow him.

So for now, as much as she hated this, she would keep her mouth shut. There was something in the way Black was begging her to believe him that gave her pause. He hadn't sounded like the crazed killer everyone thought he was. He sounded like a desperate man begging for someone he had known a lifetime ago to have some faith in him; begging for a chance to make things right.

Devyn had promised Harry last year that she wouldn't keep things like this from him (and Ron, Hermione, and Neville) anymore, but her gut was telling her to just hold onto this secret for a little while longer.

Now, at least, she knew how he was able to escape. He was an Animagus, like her. He had slipped past the Dementors the same way she had; by using his Animagus form.

Some of her questions were answered, but she was having a crisis here. Either she could take the easy and smart option and tell Dumbledore what she had seen that night…but that would lead to questions as to why she was out there in the first place, and she couldn't let anyone know about Snow, not just yet…

Or she could take the hard but right option and keep quiet about Black. She was never one to believe what everyone told her, and if her interaction with Black tonight was anything to go by, he was not what everyone thought he was.

For one thing, why hadn't he just killed her when he realized she knew who he really was? That's what a killer would have done, right?

And why, if he was a Death Eater, was he so happily surprised to learn that she was alive? If he was a Death Eater, shouldn't he have been angry that his comrades failed in their mission to destroy her family in its entirety?

And _**why**_, if he was a Dark wizard, did he seem so heartbroken when he mentioned that Voldemort had taken everyone he cared about? If he was an uncaring, coldhearted killer and traitor – a Death Eater – why would he have been so against Voldemort? Death Eaters were his followers…and if Black was one of them…his entire personality and disposition was completely off. None of this made sense.

She was more inclined to follow the evidence that she saw for herself, than go along with what everyone else was determinedly telling her; people say that werewolves were dangerous, bloodthirsty beasts (and while some of them were), she knew for a fact that Moony busted that stereotype; people said that Purebloods were supposedly better than Muggleborns (and everyone else), but that was a load of tosh – Hermione was a Muggleborn and she was a most talented witch. Whether someone was a Pureblood, Half Blood, or Muggleborn had no bearing on their magical talent whatsoever.

People told her that Parselmouths were inherently evil because being a Parselmouth was a Dark trait, but she knew for a fact that her father had been born a Parselmouth and he had busted that stereotype faster than people could even finish spreading the rumor about his being a Dark wizard.

And something inside her was telling her that what people were saying about Black…wasn't necessarily entirely true. Perhaps they believed he was evil and insane and out to put Harry in an early grave…but that didn't mean he actually was…

_Why, _Devyn thought grumpily as she rolled over and curled up in a ball, trying desperately to go to sleep. _Why can't my life ever be simple? Why?_


	20. Chapter 20

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 20**

"Last call for Hogsmeade! Come on now!"

Snow had fallen at Hogwarts, turning everything into a blinding, sparkling shade of white. Devyn thought, with a little chuckle, that if she were to transform into Snow, at least from a distance, hardly anyone would be able to see her.

And speaking of near invisibility…Devyn was about to walk off with Neville, Ron, and Hermione and go into Hogsmeade, when she spotted something that gave her pause. Someone was making footsteps in the snow…footsteps that didn't seem to belong to anyone.

_Harry_, Devyn thought with a small smile. She had wondered how long it would take Harry to finally crack and try to sneak into Hogsmeade. She evidently hadn't been the only ones who noticed because George, who had been making a snowman with Fred, tapped his arm and nodded his head toward the seemingly disembodied footprints.

"You go on, I'll catch up," Devyn told Neville. Ron and Hermione had already taken off, but Neville frowned and said, "You sure? I can wait for you…"

"No, Neville, it's fine. There's something I need to do…I'll catch up."

Luckily Neville had also spotted the phantom footprints and grinned when he realized what was happening. Fred and George were stealthily making their way towards Harry and then suddenly grabbed him by the arms and were forcing him back into the Entrance Hall.

"Clever, Harry," Fred told him, grinning.

"But not clever enough," George added, mirroring his twin's expression.

Devyn smiled and Neville nodded.

"See you at the Shrieking Shack, then, Dev," Neville told her. Devyn smiled gratefully and he went off. She turned and started after Fred, George, and Harry, and when she reached the Entrance Hall, she heard George say, "It's a wrench giving it to you, believe me."

"But we've decided, your needs are greater than ours."

"What are you up to?" Devyn said, making all three boys jump. Fred and George turned and grinned in relief when they realized who had caught them.

"Oh, Devyn, it's just you. Well, now that you're here, you might as well be in on the secret, too," George said.

"Secret, eh?" Devyn replied. "You're helping Harry sneak into Hogsmeade, aren't you?"

Fred and George raised their eyebrows and said in unison, "Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies."

Devyn rolled her eyes and approached her friend and the twin Weasleys.

"You won't turn me in, will you, Devyn?" Harry asked, looking almost frightened at the prospect. Devyn raised her eyebrows and said, "Why on earth would I do that? If anyone deserves a bit of fun in Hogsmeade, it's you, Harry. Now what's this about?"

Fred looked at George and said, "George, if you will…"

George raised his wand and touched the parchment that Harry was holding and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Immediately after the words left George's mouth, writing and some sort of design bloomed out from where George's wand touched the parchment. It looked old…Devyn guessed 15 years at least.

Harry and Devyn stared down at the mysterious parchment and Harry read out the words that had, only seconds before, been hidden from all eyes.

"_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Hoot are proud to present…_The Marauder's Map?" Harry looked up at Fred and George in confusion, and Devyn thought for a moment. She knew those nicknames well…they belonged to her godfather and his friends, including her own father and James Potter.

_And Sirius Black_…she thought. It didn't seem the names rang any bells for Harry, although he did shoot her a look when George said, "We owe them so much."

As Harry opened the map and examined it in awe, Devyn wondered why Moony had never mentioned it before.

_Well, I don't suppose it ever came up in conversation, did it? And not to mention, this is probably against some rule or another…Moony didn't want to tell me to toe the line and then have to admit that he didn't when he was my age…maybe that's it. Or maybe he didn't want to tell me because it brought back painful memories. _

"Hang on," Harry said, looking closely at the map. Devyn leaned over as well and stared at the spot Harry was so interested in. "This is Hogwarts! And that…no…is that really -?"

"Dumbledore," Fred said.

"In his study," George added.

"Pacing," Fred confirmed for Harry.

"Does that a lot," George mused. And sure enough, there were these little shoeprints, pacing around, with a banner floating near them that read "**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**".

"So you mean," Devyn said, trying to wrap her mind around the seriously advanced magic that this map was made of, "this map shows…"

"Everyone," Fred said, nodding.

"Everyone?" Devyn questioned.

"Everyone," George repeated.

"Where they are," Fred said.

"What they're doing," George added.

"Every minute," Fred told them.

"Of every day!" George finished. Devyn hoped they were done finishing each other's sentences so she would have time to process this. She knew Moony was a seriously talented wizard, but she never thought…something like this…

"Brilliant!" Devyn blurted out. Fred and George nodded impressively, clearly proud of themselves. Devyn wondered how they would react if they ever found out their DADA professor was actually one of the makers of the map.

"Where'd you get it?" Harry asked them. Devyn nodded, wanting to know. Where on earth did they find this?

"Nicked it from Filch's office, of course," Fred told them, folding his arms and leaning up against the wall. "First year."

Devyn had to admit, that was impressive. Stealing from Filch as a first year. Not many people would have had the guts to do that. But then that raised the question, why was the Map in Filch's possession in the first place? Had it been confiscated sometime during her godfather's time at Hogwarts?

That was unlikely, but possible, Devyn supposed. Or maybe Moony and his friends allowed the Map to be confiscated; in order to aide any future students that wished to carry on the noble art of pranking and mischief, such as Fred and George.

Yes, that seemed more likely.

"Now listen," George said, suddenly all business, which was surprising to Devyn. She didn't think she had ever seen him be serious. "There are seven passageways out of the castle. We'd recommend…"

Fred and George pointed a spot on the map and said in unison, "This one."

"The One-Eyed Witch passageway," George informed them. "It'll lead straight to Honeyduke's cellar."

"But you'd best hurry," Fred said, indicating on the map a rather unfortunate problem. "Filch is heading this way."

"Oh, and Harry, Devyn," George said, "Don't forget, when you're done, just give it a tap and say –"

"_Mischief Managed_," Fred and George spoke together as George tapped the map with his wand and the words, shoeprints, and floating banners all vanished from view. "Otherwise anyone can read it."

Fred and George winked and saluted them both. "See ya in Hogsmeade."

They went on their way, heading towards Hogsmeade. Devyn and Harry looked at each other and then started walking towards the One-Eyed Witch passageway that Fred and George pointed out for them.

"So…" Harry said, looking down at the now blank parchment. "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Hoot, eh?"

Devyn nodded, electing to stay silent.

"Don't you, er, don't you call your godfather Moony?" Harry asked. Again Devyn nodded, staying silent.

"Do you think he had a hand in making the Marauder's Map?"

"Yeah, maybe. He's never mentioned it to me before, though, so…I don't know. Best just to leave it alone. You can't tell him you have it, you know…"

"Why not?" Harry asked. Devyn raised an eyebrow and said, "Cos he's a teacher, Harry. He'd have to confiscate it. That's the last thing we need happening, right?"

"Oh, yeah, good point. All right, well, I won't tell him, then."

Devyn let out an internal sigh of relief. It's not that she thought Moony wouldn't answer whatever questions Harry had, it's just that he's had a hard enough time with Black being on the loose…he really didn't need any more reminders that his old friend wasn't who he thought he was.

He didn't need any more painful reminders.

Shaking her head, trying to stop herself from going down that line of thought yet again, she drew her attention back to the One-Eyed Witch passageway, which was actually a statue of a rather unfortunate looking witch that was in possession of quite a noticeable hump. Devyn must have walked by this statue a hundred times – but she never gave it a second thought. _Brilliant place for a secret passageway_, she thought. _It's hiding in place sight_.

It occurred to Devyn and Harry that they had no idea how to get into the passageway, so Harry stood as lookout while Devyn checked the map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Devyn whispered, tapping it with her beloved wand. The names of the Marauders and the hand-drawn image of the castle spider-webbed out in front of her eyes and she scoured the map until she found the two stationary markers that bore her and Harry's names. It depicted a small wand tapping the hump of the witch and then a speech bubble that contained the word _Dissendium_.

Devyn nodded to herself and whispered "Mischief Managed," tapping the map again before she handed it to Harry, who stored it safely inside his jacket. Devyn herself was bundled up in a warm knit hat and a scarf, in addition to a warm winter jacket and gloves.

She raised her wand and checked that no one was looking before tapping the statue's hump and saying, "_Dissendium_."

At once, the witch's hump sprang open, wide enough to admit a reasonably small person. Devyn motioned for Harry to climb in, and once he did, she followed him. She tapped the passageway's entrance and it closed, shutting off any form of light. Devyn allowed her eyes to be enhanced and the dark passageway lit up like it was daytime. Harry, who didn't have the benefit of canine sight, instead said, "_Lumos_", and his wand tip ignited, like a small torch, allowing him to see as well.

He turned briefly and chuckled when he saw her glowing green eyes. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that."

"What?" Devyn asked curiously. Harry nodded his head toward her eyes and said, "Your eyes. I'll get used to seeing them glow like that."

Devyn shrugged and said, "Shall we?"

Harry nodded and they walked on, crouching low to avoid scraping their heads on the passageway's low ceiling. They walked on for maybe 7 minutes before they finally reached the end of the tunnel. They only reason they knew they had reached the end was because Harry could suddenly stand up, but when he did, a loud thump was heard and a few choice swear words were uttered.

Devyn snorted with mirth and said, "You all right, Harry?"

Harry grumbled and rubbed the top of his head, which had just collided with the stone trap door that was, presumably, in the cellar of Honeyduke's Sweet Shop.

"Yeah, m'fine. Let's go."

Harry lifted the trap door quietly, but dropped it again just quietly. Devyn figured there must have been someone there. Harry waited a few seconds and checked again. The person obviously was gone because Harry waved her up and they both climbed out of the cellar floor. Devyn replaced the trap door and noted that the exit of the secret passageway was almost entirely invisible.

In fact, if you didn't know it was there in the first place, you'd never be able to find it.

The two of them walked towards the stairs leading up to the shop, and Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak. Devyn, of course, had no need of it, considering she was allowed to be in Hogsmeade, and the two of them walked up the stairs and into the shop.

Devyn wished she could have seen Harry's face when he first saw Honeyduke's, but she imagined it was one of awe and excitement. There was no other reaction possible for the first time you lay eyes on the sugary majestic wonder that was Honeyduke's Sweet Shop.

Harry went first through Honeyduke's and she followed him. Well, she assumed he was in front of her…she couldn't actually see him. She noticed Neville at the front of the shop with Seamus and Dean, and in his hands was a bright red lollipop.

"Delicious," Neville had proclaimed it, and he was just about to start licking it when it was swiped out of his hands. Devyn approached him, laughing quietly.

"Hey Neville," she said, and giggled at her boyfriend's confused expression.

"Devyn!" he exclaimed, grinning. "Glad to see you made it. I'm guessing that was…you know…"

He nodded his head to the door, through which his lollipop had just floated. Devyn laughed and nodded. "Yeah, he's here. Come on," she said, taking his hand. He grinned and let Devyn pull him along, after waving goodbye to Seamus and Dean, who were both much too preoccupied with all the candy to even realize he had gone.

Devyn and Neville quickly caught up to Harry, discernible only by the floating lollipop. The white snow crunched under their feet as they moved past a whole gaggle of Christmas shoppers. It occurred to Devyn that she would need to get Christmas presents for her friends, Neville, and Moony…

_I'm sure that I'll have plenty of time for that_, Devyn thought with a smile. She had the entire day to get her Christmas presents. Today was December 18th, and it was the end of the term, which was incredible to Devyn. It didn't seem like that much time had passed at all since the year had started. Normally she would have gone home for Christmas, but as Moony was teaching this year, there was no point. In fact, it would have been downright foolish. She was glad that she'd be able to stay at Hogwarts this year, and still be able to spend time with her godfather for Christmas.

She absolutely loved this time of year. The freshly fallen snow, the cheery feeling all around…even the air smelled different around Christmas time. It was usually filled with the enticing aromas of peppermint and gingerbread cookies, and the sharp, clean smell of the pine trees that now decorated the Great Hall.

"Harry, can I have my lollipop now, please?" Neville said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, when they finally caught up with him.

"Yes, I suppose so," Harry answered and held out the lollipop, although to them it looked like the lollipop had just spoken and was now offering itself to Neville. Neville smiled gratefully and took the lollipop from Harry, and started devouring the sugary treat.

"Oh," Neville said suddenly, as though he had just remembered something. "Here, Devyn. I got his for you."

Devyn looked at what Neville was holding and a huge smile crossed her face when she saw what it was. In his hand, he held a bar of Honeyduke's best chocolate, with bits of candy cane embedded in it.

"I know how much you love chocolate, and how much you love Christmas…well, I thought of you when I saw it."

Devyn accepted the candy from Neville and threw her arms around Neville's neck in a tight hug. "Thank you, Neville, that's so sweet!"

"You're welcome," Neville muttered, turning a lovely shade of pink. Devyn, completely unafraid of public displays of affection, kissed Neville happily, although Harry made a gagging noise when she did.

"Oh, shut up, Harry," Devyn said, and Harry laughed loudly.

"Come on, let's go find Ron and Hermione," Devyn said, and Harry said, "Okay."

Devyn assumed that they'd be at the Shrieking Shack, so that's the destination Devyn, Neville and Harry set off for. Devyn and Neville walked hand in hand the entire way, although the gloves they were both wearing made that a little hard. Devyn munched on her chocolate the way there, thoroughly enjoying the way the warm, rich flavor of the chocolate dueled with the sharp, clean taste of the peppermint candy cane chunks. It was like Christmas in candy form and she was in utter bliss.

Not for the first time, she marveled at how amazingly sweet Neville was. She was so glad, especially during times like this, that she could say Neville was _her _boyfriend; _hers _and no one else's. She knew she was only fourteen, and it was probably foolish to think this, but she honestly thought that her and Neville's relationship might be a lasting one. It certainly would be wonderful, she thought, to fall in love with your best friend.

_I'll just have to see the way it all plays out, I suppose, _she thought, chowing down on another piece of chocolate, feeling the secure hold Neville's hand had on hers. _But I certainly hope this lasts._

They finally made their way to the Shrieking Shack, but all three of them were annoyed to see that Malfoy, Crabbe, and another Slytherin named Pike had gotten to Ron and Hermione first. They were standing in front of the barbed wire fence that marked off the danger zone on the path to the Shrieking Shack. Devyn was only slightly amused to see that Ron and Hermione hadn't gotten all that close; she was more focused on the annoyance and anger she felt whenever Malfoy was around.

"A bit grand for you, isn't it, Weasel-bee? Don't your family sleep in, uh, one room?" Malfoy said, and although Devyn could not see his face, she was sure that smug grin was on his face right now. Crabbe and Pike laughed stupidly at Malfoy's sad attempt at a joke.

Ron's face flushed red with anger and he said, "Shut your mouth, Malfoy."

"Ooh, not very friendly," Malfoy said. "Boys, I think it's time we teach Weasel-bee how to respect his superiors."

Hermione stepped forward and said, "Oh, I hope you don't mean yourself."

"How dare you talk to me, you filthy little Mudblood!"

Devyn was about to rush in there and pound that little maggot senseless but Harry and Neville grabbed her arms and held her back.

"Leave them to me," Harry said, creeping forward silently. Devyn smirked. This was gonna be good.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a snowball was launched from where Devyn could see Harry's shoeprints and hit Malfoy right in the back of the head.

"Who is that?"

Obviously no one answered and Devyn and Neville took cover behind a tree. If Malfoy and the others saw her and Neville, they'd blame them, and despite how much she loved to show Malfoy how pathetic he actually was, she would rather avoid a fight.

Besides, she and Neville were laughing too hard for anything other than clinging to each other to try and stay standing. Devyn held onto her ribs, crying with laughter, when another snowball hit Malfoy, this time, right in the face.

And the snowballs just kept coming.

"Don't stand there!" Malfoy snapped at Crabbe. "Do something!"

"What?!" he asked, clearly confused as to what was happening. Harry must have moved closer because he pulled Pike's hat down over his eyes and then pulled Crabbe's pants down, revealing brown, yellow, and blue polka dotted boxers.

Ron and Hermione looked utterly bemused as Crabbe bent over to try and pick up his pants and ended up being pushed face first into the snow. Devyn had a strong suspicion that Harry had kicked him. Hermione laughed – she must have realized what was happening – but Ron looked bewildered and a little frightened.

Devyn and Neville moved from their hiding spot behind the tree to a snow bank closer to the action, in order to view it better.

Suddenly, Pike's green and silver colored scarf was pulled up and he screamed out of fright as he was swung around like a rag doll, and then thrown away into the snow. Malfoy had tripped over Crabbe, who was still lying in the snow with his pants round his ankles, and now found himself being dragged by his feet through the snow, closer and closer to the Shrieking Shack.

"What's up, Malfoy? Lost your skies?" Ron called out. Malfoy scrambled back up the slope the moment that his feet were released. He pushed both Crabbe and Pike back down into the snow in his haste to get away from the "ghost" that had just tormented him and his cronies.

"Get out of the way!" Malfoy screeched, shoving Crabbe down into the snow. Crabbe hurriedly pulled his pants back up and Malfoy shouted, "Move!" to Pike, and pushed him out of his way as well.

"Malfoy, wait! Wait!" Pike cried out, as he and Crabbe scrambled up the slope after Malfoy, right past Neville and Devyn's snowy hiding spot; they never even saw her and Neville.

Once Malfoy and his cronies had assuredly left, Devyn and Neville emerged from the snow bank, just as Harry fooled around with Ron and Hermione by moving a couple strands of Hermione's hair, and the strings on Ron's hat.

"Harry!" Hermione said, barely containing her laughter.

Harry removed the Invisibility Cloak, laughing hysterically. Devyn and Neville joined their friends as Ron said, "Bloody hell, Harry that was not funny," but smiled nonetheless.

"Were you two there the entire time?" Ron asked Neville and Devyn as they started the descent back into the village.

"Yeah, we saw the whole thing. Harry, that was brilliant!" Neville said, high fiving Harry, whose cheeks were flushed with excitement.

"But, Harry," Hermione said, sounding fretful. "What if Malfoy had seen you? You're not even supposed to be here!"

Devyn and Harry grinned at each other as Hermione said, "Speaking of which…how did you get here?"

"Well…" Harry said, grinning. "There's something I've got to show you, now that you mention it."

* * *

**Well, what did you think? Please tell me. I know it's been a while since I updated, but I've been a little busy lately. Well anyway, here it is. I had a lot of fun writing the whole snowball scene, let me tell you!**

**Please leave a review and keep an eye out for the next chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 21**

"Those weasels!" Ron exclaimed indignantly. "They never told me about any Marauder's Map."

Devyn and Harry had just finished telling Ron, Hermione, and Neville about the Map. Ron was understandably upset that his older brothers had never told him about the incredible object, but Devyn figured that was because it was the twins' little secret. Besides, Ron might have accidentally let slip that Fred and George had the Map, and get them in trouble. The mischievous twins couldn't have had that happen, now could they?

"But Harry isn't going to keep it. He's going to turn it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you?" Hermione asked, her tone indicating that there would be no discussion on the matter. Devyn had kept mostly quiet after Ron, Hermione, and Neville processed this information, but now she snorted in amusement. There was no way Harry would turn in the Map, nor would Devyn let him.

Something in the back of her mind warned her that if Harry left the Map lying around, and it happened to fall in Sirius Black's hands, he could use it to find Harry, but Black's words came back to her: _I'm trying to protect Harry!_

Devyn had been thinking a lot about the encounter she had had with Black, but she still hadn't mentioned it to anyone. She had spent some time with Moony a couple days previously, and the knowledge that she had met Black was eating her alive inside, but a little voice inside her told her that she needed to keep this information to herself…

She thought that she wasn't the only one keeping important information from others either…now that she knew Black was an Animagus, it would have been foolish to think that Moony wasn't aware of this fact. He had been close friends with Black at one point, and Devyn doubted that Black would have had the strength to become an Animagus in prison, which meant that he had become an Animagus (and subsequently took on the name Padfoot) before James and Lily were killed.

And, considering the Marauder's Map had their nicknames written on the front, it was likely that he had become an Animagus during his school years. Which meant that James, Peter Pettigrew, and her father had all been Animagi, too.

Obviously the name 'Hoot' was pretty self-explanatory – Michael Murphy's Animagus form had been an owl. Black's form – Padfoot – was a black impossibly large dog…but what were Peter's and James' forms?

_Wormtail…Prongs_….

What could they refer too? Devyn was at a loss for the answer. Obviously she knew the name 'Moony' referred to her godfather's condition and the fact that he transformed at the full moon.

But as for 'Prongs' and 'Wormtail'…Devyn had no idea whatsoever.

Wrenching herself out of her thoughts, she heard Ron scoff at Hermione's suggestion that he turn in the Marauder's Map and say, "Oh yeah, along with his Invisibility Cloak."

The Cloak was currently stored away safely in Harry's coat, away from the falling snow. They came to a stop some ways away from The Three Broomsticks, and Devyn noticed a tall blonde woman – Madam Rosmerta, Devyn realized, The Three Broomsticks' barmaid - hammering a dreamcatcher onto the large wooden post outside of The Three Broomsticks.

Devyn noticed Ron had suddenly gotten a dopey smile on his face when he laid eyes on Madam Rosmerta.

"Oh, look who it is!" Hermione said, teasing slightly. "Madam Rosmerta; Ron fancies her!"

"It's not true!"

Devyn looked away for just a second and sighed heavily at one of the many 'Wanted' posters for Black. They were tacked up everywhere, as though people would forget that Black was on the loose.

"Cornelius!"

Devyn's head snapped back around when she heard Professor McGonagall's voice calling out the name of the Minister of Magic. Sure enough, there the Minister was, sitting in a coach; he must have just pulled in behind Madam Rosmerta. And approaching the Minister was McGonagall and Hagrid.

"Oh, bloody hell," Devyn muttered. She looked beside her and noticed that Harry had suddenly disappeared. He must have pulled out the Cloak again. _Good_, she thought. _Harry was smart to go underneath the Cloak. The last thing he needs is to be discovered here by McGonagall, or the Minister._

"Allow me, Minister!" Hagrid said. The four of them (and the invisible Harry) were frozen where they stood, both wanting to get Harry as far away from the Minister and McGonagall as possible and wanting to stay and hear what was going to be said.

Hagrid had walked straight up the Minister's coach and, trying to be polite, had opened the door to the coach for him so he could get out. Unfortunately, Hagrid underestimated his strength and ended up pulling the half-door straight off its hinges.

"Oh, Hagrid…" Fudge said, shaking his head at the door that Hagrid was holding in his large hand.

"Sorry abou' that!" Hagrid said, sounding far happier than would be required for a sincere apology. Devyn giggled to herself. She couldn't blame Hagrid for not being entirely sorry – Fudge had, after all, only last year, arrested Hagrid and sent him off to Azkaban, simply because he had been suspected in a crime 50 years earlier and because the Ministry "had to act".

Devyn imagined that the large, friendly Gamekeeper held something of a grudge against Fudge, and with just cause.

"Rosmerta, my dear," Fudge said jovially. "I hope business is good."

Rosmerta paused in pounding the nail into the dream catcher she was pinning up and turned around to face the Minister.

"It'd be a lot better if the Ministry weren't sending Dementors into my pub every other night," Rosmerta replied, tapping Fudge on the head with her hammer, although it was only lightly. Fudge put his head down as Rosmerta drew nearer with the hammer, as though he was ashamed of himself for allowing the Dementors to enter The Three Broomsticks.

"We have…" Fudge stammered. "We have a killer on the loose."

_That's his excuse? Really?_ Devyn scoffed internally. Although, she knew Fudge was only doing his job, she seriously resented the presence of the Dementors in her beloved school. They weren't helping matters at all – in fact, they were making it worse.

Not for the first time, Devyn was ecstatic that she would soon be learning how to ward them off.

"Oh, Sirius Black?" Rosmerta grumbled, turning back to her dream catcher and hammering the nail in even more. "In Hogsmeade? And what would bring him here?"

Devyn's heart jumped into her throat when Fudge leaned in to Rosmerta and said softly, although his voice carried quite a bit, "Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter?!" Rosmerta repeated loudly. McGonagall and Fudge both shushed her and Fudge beckoned for her to follow McGonagall, and himself into The Three Broomsticks, presumably to continue the conversation in a more private setting.

Off they went, and Devyn knew instantly that Harry was no longer by their side. Of course, he would have followed the three adults into The Three Broomsticks; if they were talking about Black, Harry would want to hear.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, realizing that he was no longer by their side. The four of them tried to follow him but when they reached the door to the pub, the numerous shrunken heads protested, one of them saying, "I say, no underage wizards allowed in today!"

When they didn't immediately listen, another one said, "Shut the damn door!"

Devyn snorted in disgust but moved away from the doorway all the same. She and Neville walked over to a bench outside of the pub and sat down.

"So rude!" Hermione said, looking upset.

"Thick heads…" Ron muttered. That comment set the shrunken heads off on a rant about how they were "young whippersnappers", and other things that didn't need repeating.

Hermione, Ron, and Neville were bemoaning the fact that they wouldn't be able to eavesdrop with Harry (for that's what he was surely doing) and Hermione fretted about what would happen if Harry was caught, but Devyn wasn't listening.

She was already tuning out her friends and using her lupine hearing to locate the Minister's voice.

_There!_

He, McGonagall, Hagrid, and Rosmerta were in a private room on the upper level of the Three Broomsticks and Devyn zeroed in on that room, listening to what they were saying.

"Now, tell me what this is all about," Rosmerta said.

Devyn heard a door shut quietly, and a few of them moving around.

"Well now, years ago, when Harry Potter's parents realized they were marked for death, do you remember? They went into hiding. Few knew where they were. One who did was Sirius Black! And he told You-Know-Who!"

Devyn inhaled sharply, almost not able to believe what she was hearing. Black was the one who sold out James and Lily?

"Not only," Fudge remarked, "did Black lead You-Know-Who to the Potters that night, but he also killed one of their friends, Peter Pettigrew!"

"Peter Pettigrew?" Madam Rosmerta repeated, her tone suggesting that she was trying to remember Pettigrew.

"Yes, little lump of a boy. Always trailing after Sirius Black and…" McGonagall said, trying to jog Rosmerta's memory.

"Oh, I remember him. Never let James and Sirius out of his sight. But what happened?" Rosmerta said.

"Well, Peter Pettigrew tried to warn the Potters, and might have managed to, had he not run into an old friend, Sirius Black," McGonagall explained.

"Black was vicious," Fudge told Rosmerta. "He didn't kill Pettigrew…he _destroyed _him. A finger. That's all that was left; a finger – nothing else."

"Yes," McGonagall said. "Sirius Black may not have put his hands to the Potters, but he's the reason they're dead."

"And now he wants to finish what he started," Fudge commented.

"I don't believe it," Madam Rosmerta said. For that matter, Devyn wasn't sure what to believe. She had met Black and he seemed desperate for her to believe that he didn't want to harm Harry. The very look in his eyes when he mentioned James and Lily, even if it was only in passing, was heartbreaking. It looked as though he couldn't miss them more if he tried.

Either Black was a very good actor, or he was actually innocent, and Peter Pettigrew was still alive and the real culprit of the entire thing.

"Hah," McGonagall scoffed. "That's not the worst of it."

"What could be worse?" Rosmerta asked, as though she couldn't possibly imagine what else would be said regarding Black.

"This," McGonagall said, with the air of admitting something very grave and miserable. "Sirius Black was, and remains to this day, Harry Potter's godfather."

Devyn felt all air leave her lungs at that moment. Black was Harry's _godfather_? What the hell was going on here?

Devyn didn't know what to believe, but the image of Black's heartbroken, desperation filled eyes flashed before her own, and suddenly doubt was cast upon the accusations put towards Black. No one that remorseful could have done what everyone was saying Black did. If he was a cold-blooded murderer, he wouldn't have let her live, much less try and get her to believe the truth.

_But maybe he only let you live because if he killed you, it would be too conspicuous. I mean, especially with Moony in the castle…they would notice you'd gone missing. And if Black didn't hide the body…_

Devyn shuddered, refusing to allow that train of thought to go any further. Black just didn't seem like a killer to her. She knew that was what many serial killers were like…you didn't truly see the monster that lives inside them until it was too late.

But if Black was truly a mad murderer, he was very good at hiding it. Nothing about Black, that night, suggested to Devyn that she was in any immediate danger.

Oh, it was all so confusing. She truly didn't know which to believe; that Black was innocent, or that he was guilty…she just hoped Harry was okay. She didn't suppose that he would take the news too well…

And sure enough, within seconds, Devyn saw disembodied footprints making their way through the sparkling white snow. Harry must have been really upset because he stomped right through a group of caroling dwarves.

Ron, Hermione, Neville and Devyn all started running after Harry, pausing only to apologize to the disgruntled dwarves that had suddenly found themselves on their backs in the snow.

The four of them tracked Harry's footprints to a secluded area, where it seemed like only a snow covered rock was around. Ron and Neville stopped walking when the four of them heard soft crying coming from the general area of the rock.

Hermione and Devyn looked at each other and kept walking forward, leaving the two boys behind. The two girls approached the rock carefully, and Hermione reached out and pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, revealing Harry, who was looking very angry and very sad at the same time.

He had his head down when Hermione removed the Cloak but looked up when Hermione asked, "Harry, what happened?"

Devyn hugged Harry tightly as he answered, "He was their friend. And he betrayed them. HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!"

Hermione flinched slightly when he shouted, but Devyn refused to move until Harry asked her to. He was one of her best friends and he needed her right now, regardless of whether or not he'd eve admit it.

"I hope he finds me. Cause when he does, I'm gonna be ready. When he does, I'm gonna kill him."

Devyn knew that Harry was only speaking out of anger, and regardless of how furious and hurt he felt, he would never take another human's life. It didn't matter whether they deserved it or not – Harry was not a murderer.

Devyn was sure, when the time came (because eventually, Harry and Black would meet. It was inevitable, especially with their luck), Harry would not be able to kill Black. It just wasn't in him to kill.

"Oh, Harry…" Devyn said. She felt Harry's arms wrap around her waist and he held onto her for dear life, shaking with silent, angry sobs. "It's alright. It'll be alright."

Harry didn't answer, but Devyn didn't expect him to.

"Come on, Harry…let's go back up to the castle," Hermione said gently.

Again, Harry didn't answer (and again, Devyn hadn't expected him to) but he did loosen his hold on Devyn, and she took that as a signal to let go of him. She did so and he stood up, removing his glasses and wiping the tears from his eyes.

The three of them walked back to Ron and Neville, and thankfully, Ron didn't make a comment. Devyn suspected Neville warned him to keep his mouth shut for now. She smiled at Neville when they reached him and slipped her hand back into his.

As they walked back up to the castle, the cold air helping to rid Harry's eyes of the reddish hue that had been caused by the crying, Devyn found herself resenting Black and disliking him for causing those horrible emotions in Harry. He had gone through enough already. He deserved to be happy for once.

However, as angry as she felt towards Black, she didn't wish him to die. She just hoped she was doing the right thing, keeping quiet about her accidental meeting with Black. She _had _made a deal with him after all; if she kept quiet about seeing him, he would stay away from her and her loved ones.

She hoped Black had, at the very least, a semblance of honor in him. If he did, that might, with a substantial stroke of luck, keep him from breaking their deal. She simply wanted to keep her friends and family safe. That's all she wanted.


	22. Chapter 22

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 22**

A couple weeks had passed since Harry (and Devyn, although he didn't know that) found out that Sirius Black was Harry's godfather and that he supposedly sold James and Lily to Voldemort. Christmas break was now behind them and it was just a few days after the New Year.

Hermione, Ron, and Neville had all been utterly gob-smacked when Harry told them, and Devyn tried her hardest to look surprised. She didn't think Harry needed to know she had been eavesdropping on McGonagall, the Minister, and Madam Rosmerta as well – and he had wanted to tell them what he had heard, and he had every right to.

All in all, Devyn thought he was taking it all very well. He had been a little broodier as of late, and his resolve to learn the Patronus Charm increased about tenfold, but other than that, he was behaving pretty normally. It was more than Devyn could have hoped for. She was still struggling with in the internal fight of whether she was doing the right thing, concealing the fact that she had seen Black on the grounds that night.

_This is ridiculous_, she told herself, after she had weighed the pros and cons of keeping it to herself once again. _I'm doing what I think is best. If Harry knows that Black's wandering around the grounds somewhere, he might try and go looking for him. That's the last thing that he needs right now. _

After that, Devyn resolved that she was doing the right thing and she wasn't going to think about it anymore. Luckily, both she and Harry found a suitable distraction from their thoughts when Moony informed the two of them after class one day that they would be meeting that night for their first Patronus lesson, if they were still interested, that was.

"Of course we're still interested, Professor!" Harry said, his eyes full to bursting with furious determination. Moony had smiled gently and nodded his head.

"Just making sure, Harry," Moony said softly. Harry bowed his head and muttered an apology. "It's quite alright, Harry. Both your father and your mother used to get the same way when they were determined to do something."

Moony cast a searching gaze over Harry for a moment; he was probably dealing with the emotions that the thought of James and Lily evoked. He nodded decisively within seconds and said, "Very well. Meet me in the Astronomy classroom at, let's say…6 o'clock."

Devyn and Harry nodded and left the DADA classroom, and caught up with Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

That night, Harry and Devyn left Gryffindor Tower and headed for the Astronomy classroom. Once they finally finished the lengthy trek up to the tower that they frequented so often for their Astronomy classes and entered the spacious classroom, they saw Moony standing on a stair landing a little way above them.

"Harry…Devyn…there you are. You came," Moony said. Devyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the surprised tone in her godfather's voice and Harry just nodded shortly.

"Now are you sure about this?" Moony asked. Devyn nodded right away, as did Harry, but Moony continued making sure. "You know this is very advanced magic, well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level."

"I'm sure we can handle it, Moony."

Moony smirked and quirked an eyebrow at her. Devyn really did roll her eyes this time but decided to humor him; she knew what this was about. Moony had told her, what seemed like forever ago now, that she was only to call him by his nickname if it was just the two of them.

"Fine, fine. I'm sure we can handle it, _Professor_. Happy?" Devyn grumbled. Moony smiled and said, "Yes, thank you."

Devyn looked at Harry with a deadpan expression, as if to say _'do you see what I have to deal with?'_, although all three of them knew that she was only joking; she loved her godfather beyond all measure.

"I'm sure," Harry confirmed. Moony nodded and said, as he started walking down the stairs to the level they were on, "Well, the spell I'm going to try to teach you is called the Patronus Charm. Did you ever hear of it?"

Harry shook his head, but Devyn felt it would have been pointless for her to nod. Moony already knew that she knew about it. This was purely for Harry's benefit.

"No? Well," Moony said. "A Patronus is a kind of positive force, and for the wizard who can conjure one, it works something like a shield, with the Dementor feeding on it rather than him." Moony moved over to the chest on the table, and leant up against it. "But in order for it to work, you have to think of a memory. And not just any memory; a very happy memory, a very powerful memory."

While Moony explained this to Harry, Devyn had been looking around at the candles that surrounded them. They were kind of weird, but really quite cool. They were in the shape of the human vertebrae, and seemed to have small black Roman numerals written on them.

The only reason she wasn't keeping her eyes on Moony was because she already knew the theory of the Patronus and had already thought of a memory. She had gone through her memories until she found one that made her feel happy and safe and warm inside whenever she thought of it; when she had been reunited with Moony for the first time in the orphanage.

She had thought he was only a figment of her imagination for so long, and to finally see him before her very eyes, a real, live person…well, that had made her happier than words could describe. The way he had held her, and called her 'my Devyn' still brought tears to her eyes even now.

If that didn't count as a happy memory, she didn't know what did.

However, when she heard Moony ask Harry if he thought he could think of a happy memory, she pulled her attention away from the spinal candles and focused on Moony.

"Both of you…close your eyes…" Moony said, his voice taking on a calming effect. His voice always had that effect on her, but now he meant for it to happen. She closed her eyes and listened to Moony as he walked around her and Harry.

"Concentrate…explore your past…" he said, walking slowly around Harry. "Do you have your memory? Allow it to fill you up…"

As she thought of how Moony smiled at her and held her close that day, she felt that happiness and emotion burst out of her heart. She couldn't wait to try the Patronus Charm…

"Lose yourself within it…" Moony said, now moving towards where Devyn stood. "Then speak the incantation: _Expecto Patronum_."

"_Expecto Patronum…_" Devyn and Harry said quietly.

"Very good," Moony whispered. The two of them opened their eyes and saw that Moony had walked back over to the chest and was now bent over it, poised to open it. "Shall we? Harry, you'll go first. Devyn, you come stand near me."

Devyn nodded and moved towards Moony. He was still watching Harry and said, "Wand at the ready."

Harry raised his wand and Moony waved his hand in front of the locks on the chest, performing a bit of wandless magic to unlock them. He looked up at Harry, and nodded minutely when he saw that Harry was ready. He lifted the cover of the chest and the Dementor burst out of it, in all its terrifying putrescence.

Moony and Devyn backed away slightly and they watched as Harry tried to fight the Dementor, which managed to blow out the candles as it advanced on him. Unfortunately, the dark creature proved too much for Harry, and he fainted dead away.

Moony forced the Dementor back into the chest as Devyn rushed to Harry's side. She tried waking him up and Moony joined her in her efforts when the Dementor was safely back in its container. After about fifteen seconds, Harry showed signs of coming around and Moony said, "Here we go. Come on, sit up…"

Harry blinked his eyes and sat up fully. He looked a little ashamed of himself for fainting, but he had absolutely nothing to be ashamed about.

"Deep breaths…" Moony said, as Harry looked up at him, slightly disoriented. "It'll be alright. I didn't expect you to do it the first time. That would have been remarkable." He reached into his sweater pocket and pulled out a bar of chocolate and broke off a piece and handed it to Harry. "Here. Eat this, you'll feel better."

Moony stood up as Harry bit into the chocolate and said, "That's one nasty Dementor."

"Oh, no, no, no," Moony said at once. "That was a Boggart, Harry. A Boggart…" He moved over to the candles and started relighting them. "The real thing would have been worse, much worse. As a matter of interest, what were you thinking?"

"The first time I rode a broom…" Harry answered. Moony turned around and looked at him.

"Well, that's not good enough, not nearly good enough…"

Devyn knew what Moony was trying to say, but the way he said could have been different. Harry looked away, both embarrassed and slightly annoyed. He walked towards one of the candles and started poking the small flame.

"There's another…it's not happy exactly…well, it is…it's the happiest I've ever felt. But it's complicated," Harry said.

"Is it strong?" Moony asked. Harry turned around to face them and nodded. "Then let's give it a try, after Devyn's turn. Now, you eat your chocolate and…Devyn, are you ready?"

Harry nodded as Moony turned to Devyn. However, a thought had occurred to her. "Er, Moony…because it's a Boggart…won't it…you know, take the shape of a Basilisk?"

"Hmm…I suppose it might, but do you fear the Dementors as well?"

"Yes. Every time they get close…I hear…I see…"

"It's alright. You don't have to tell me. I know whatever you see and hear are your worst memories. You don't need to tell me…"

Devyn fell silent and nodded. "I fear the Dementors because of what I see when they get close…"

"Focus on that…it may help the Boggart to take the shape of a Dementor…"

Devyn nodded and Harry stood up on shaky legs before moving off to the side. Devyn raised her wand and focused both on her happiest memory and her fear of Dementors as Moony opened the chest again.

Miraculously, instead of a Basilisk, a Dementor arose from the chest and Devyn felt a cold wave of fear rush through her, chilling her to the bone. But then she focused on the memory of reuniting with Moony, and it was like a white-hot flame had been lit in her. She could feel it giving her strength and she said loudly, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

Nothing happened, but she hadn't fainted yet. She refused to. The Dementor glided closer and closer to her with every passing second.

"_Expecto Patronum!"_

This time a small wisp of silvery gas escaped her wand tip. She felt another surge of strength run through her and she knew it was Snow, trying to help. With the strength of her memory and the spirit of the wolf running through her veins, she felt something powerful be birthed within her. And it _howled_.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!" _she bellowed. At last, a blindingly white light erupted from her wand and from that light, an enormous wolf walked forward and charged into the Dementor, forcing it back into the chest.

Seconds after, the Patronus vanished and Devyn felt the adrenaline leave her system, leaving her shaking like a leaf and her legs suddenly unable to support her weight. She sank to her knees, staring at her godfather, whose astonished expression she would have laughed at, if she weren't so astonished herself.

"Well done, Devyn! That was…that was…"

"Remarkable, I think you said it would have been, Professor," Harry chimed in, looking both envious that Devyn had successfully cast the Patronus and impressed that she had done so.

"Yes, quite. That must have been quite the memory you were thinking of…"

"It was," Devyn confirmed as Moony knelt down and gave her some chocolate. She looked up at him and said, "I thought of you. When we were, y'know, reunited…in the orphanage. I thought of the way you smiled at me, and hugged me…I have never been happier than that moment. Knowing I had family…that I wasn't alone anymore."

Moony smiled widely and hugged her tightly. Words seemed to escape him at the moment. After a few seconds, he released her and turned to Harry, who looked more determined than ever to succeed at this.

"Do you feel ready?" Moony asked Harry, who was now taking his place where Devyn had stood mere moments ago. Devyn stood up shakily and walked over to her original spot near Moony, nibbling on the chocolate, feeling her strength come back to her.

She might have cast the Patronus successfully (and achieved a corporeal Patronus) but she needed to be able to hold it like that for more than a few seconds.

"Just do it," Harry said, looking stonily at the chest, his wand pointed forward.

Moony once again released the Boggart-Dementor and it advanced on Harry, who was suddenly screaming the incantation, determined not to pass out again.

And then finally –

"_**EXPECTO PATRONUM!**_"

A bright white light, however shapeless, exploded from Harry's wand, creating a funnel around the Dementor that it could not break. Moony looked up at the Dementor, which Harry was forcing back into the chest, a giant smile on his face, laughing, perhaps out of sheer amazement.

Finally, the Dementor was forced completely back into the chest and Moony slammed the lid shut.

"Yes!" Moony cheered. "Well done, Harry! Well done!"

"I think I've had enough…for today," Harry said, looking paler than ever before.

"Yes," Moony agreed. "Sit down." He handed Harry more chocolate and said, "Eat this, it helps, it _really _helps."

The three of them sat down on a short set of stairs a bit of ways away from the chest, which Moony cast a look over his shoulder at. "Just so you know, Harry, I think you would have given your father a run for his money. And _that_ is saying something."

"I was thinking of him," Harry said, a small smile playing on his features. "And Mum. Seeing their faces. They were talking to me. Just talking. That's the memory I chose. I don't even know if it's real…but it's the best I have."

They all sat there for some time, discussing the Patronus. Devyn ended up having one more go, and although her Patronus was stronger and clearer this time, it still only lasted a few seconds. Moony told her that that was to be expected, and the fact that she had managed to produce a corporeal Patronus on her first try was incredible in and of itself, so she shouldn't be disappointed at all.

And she wasn't. She just wished that her Patronus lasted a little longer. But that's what practice was for. And she planned to practice at this harder than she had ever practiced at anything else.

* * *

**Okay, I know that it's a little unreasonable that Devyn produces a corporeal Patronus her first time around, but that's just how I wrote it. I hope you guys don't have too much of a problem with it…**

**Well, as usual, leave a review and keep your eyes open for the next chapter. Thanks!**


	23. Chapter 23

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 23**

To say Devyn and Harry was working ferociously to master the Patronus Charm would have been an understatement. Devyn couldn't speak for Harry, but she knew that the Patronus was consuming her thoughts almost 24 hours a day now.

She had always been a quick learner when it came to spells, and was always able to master them quickly, so the fact that she had to work so hard at mastering the Patronus both excited her and frustrated her.

They had both made rather good progress since their first lesson. Devyn's Patronus was able to stay around longer and the image of the wolf that it became was getting clearer and clearer every time. Moony desperately tried to keep his expression neutral whenever he saw her Patronus, but Devyn knew that he was struggling with the idea because of the detest that he held for anything to do with the wolf.

Devyn could hardly blame Moony for hating even the idea of a wolf so much, because of hard his life has been due to his condition, but it only made her more nervous about the notion of him finding out about her Animagus form. It was one thing to have a wolf-shaped Patronus, but it was another thing entirely to actually transform into a wolf, regardless of whether it was done willfully or it was forced.

Devyn's mind was so preoccupied as of late, she was quite surprised to find herself suddenly walking across one of the school's many courtyard with her friends and boyfriend. It took her more than it should have for her to remember that Hagrid had gone to the Ministry of Magic in London recently for Buckbeak's hearing. They were heading for Hagrid's cabin to inquire as to how the hearing had gone.

She shook her head and deliberately focused on her friends. She needed to get her mind off of the Patronus and Moony. It was getting ridiculous now. It was a lovely day, rather warm for it being early spring.

Harry looked slightly preoccupied, as she had been, and Neville was looking calm and happy. Devyn smiled at him and took his hand in hers. He grinned back at her and then nodded his head toward Ron, getting Devyn to look at him. His expression was stormy at best, furious at worst.

She also noticed that Hermione looked calm but a storm was brewing behind her brown eyes.

_What had happened now?_

Ron and Hermione were always fighting about something, and Devyn, Harry, and Neville were left to either take sides in the argument or be stuck in the middle and be forced to just wait until the two of them forgave each other and things got back to normal. Devyn, Neville, and Harry usually opted for the latter.

"Beautiful day," Hermione commented. Her voice was light and airy, but anyone with half a brain would be able to sense the dangerous tone lurking behind her words.

"Gorgeous," Ron answered sarcastically. "Unless, of course, you've been ripped to pieces!"

The three of them looked at the other two, alarm written all over their faces.

"Ripped to pieces?" Harry asked, clearly perplexed. He looked at Devyn and Neville, but they both shrugged at him. They had no idea either. "What are you talking about?"

"Ronald has lost his rat," Hermione told them.

"What?" Devyn asked. "Scabbers is gone?"

"I haven't _lost _anything!" Ron snarled, ignoring Devyn completely. "Your cat killed him!"

"Rubbish!" Hermione growled at him, her pace speeding up.

"Harry," Ron said, trying to appeal to a neutral party. "You've seen how that bloodthirsty beast is always lurking about! And Scabbers is gone!"

"Well maybe you should learn to take better care of _your _pets!" Hermione snapped.

"Your cat killed him!" Ron insisted.

"Did not!" Hermione protested.

"Did!" Ron muttered.

"Didn't," Hermione muttered right back.

"Ron," Devyn said. "Have you actually got any proof that Crookshanks killed Scabbers?"

"Well…no, not really," Ron admitted, although it looked like the admittance of his lack of evidence was causing him immense pain.

"Well, then…innocent until proven guilty. I know that Crookshanks seems to have taken a special interest in Scabbers, but he's a cat, Ron. And Scabbers is a rat. Cats chase rats, you know. I'm sure Scabbers will turn up sooner or later."

"Oh, yeah, take her side, I knew you would!" Ron shouted at her as the five of them started walking across the covered bridge towards the path they had walked so many times before.

"Watch it, Ron!" Neville warned.

"Oh, shut up, Neville," Ron snapped. Neville only raised his eyebrows and flushed a little.

"OI!" Devyn shouted at Ron, making him flinch at the noise. "Don't you tell him to shut up! Now listen: I am not taking anyone's side, Ron, but you haven't got any concrete evidence that Crookshanks killed Scabbers. More than likely, Scabbers is just running around the castle somewhere. I know you're upset that your pet is gone, but that doesn't make it alright for you to take it out on us. We haven't done anything!"

Ron flushed a deep scarlet and muttered an apology before they continued walking towards Hagrid's cabin.

"It's alright, Ron, just take it easy…" Devyn told him. Harry once again sunk into deep thought, or so it looked…Devyn guessed he was either thinking about the Patronus Charm, or about Black, and Devyn sincerely hoped it was the Patronus. It wasn't healthy for him to brood over Black this much.

They walked the rest of the way in relative silence, and eventually found Hagrid calf-deep in the Black Lake, skipping stones.

Devyn decided to join him. The water was cold, but she could sense Hagrid was very upset about something, even if he wasn't showing it. He needed someone there right now. The other four stayed on the shoreline and Hermione called out, "How did it go, Hagrid? At the hearing?"

"Well, first off, the committee members took turns talkin' about why we were there. And then I got up an' did my piece…said how Buckbeak was a good Hippogriff, always cleaned his feathers. And then Lucius Malfoy got up…"

Devyn groaned in disgust and annoyance and Hagrid nodded in agreement. "Well," he said, "you can imagine, he said Buckbeak was a deadly and dangerous creature that'd kill ya as soon as look at ya."

"And then?" Hermione asked.

"He asked fer the wors', did ol' Lucius," Hagrid replied, his voice started to shake a little.

"They're not sacking you!?" Ron exclaimed. But Devyn didn't think it was that. Hagrid's expression was much too sad for it to have been something like that.

"No, I'm not sacked…Buckbeak's been sentenced to death!" Hagrid wailed, throwing a large stone out into the water, causing a large splash. He hung his head and started to cry.

Devyn was shocked. She'd never seen Hagrid cry before, and it scared her a little. She did the only thing she could. Although she only came up to his waist, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as best she could.

He moved his hand and placed it on her shoulder and squeezed tightly. Devyn tried not to gasp at the pain (he was squeezing her shoulder quite tightly) and luckily succeeded.

"I'm sorry, Hagrid. I'm so sorry…" she said quietly. "He doesn't deserve this. It was Malfoy's fault anyway, not Buckbeak's. He should have been listening when you said not to insult the Hippogriff. And maybe if he wasn't such a baby about the whole ordeal…I mean, Madam Pomfrey fixed him up in a heartbeat. She regrew half the bones in Harry's arm last year and fixed my skull the year before that! A slash from a Hippogriff would have taken seconds, maybe a minute tops!"

"I know, I know, but they don' see it like tha', Devyn. They just see an animal that injured a student…s'all they see…and Lucius has got 'em all in his pocket…they frightened o' him."

"I really hate the Malfoy family," Devyn muttered and Hagrid nodded.

"There's nothin' we can do now..." Hagrid said softly. "Nothin'."

Devyn felt so useless. She wanted to save Buckbeak, but there was nothing she could do. The Ministry's decision was final…Buckbeak had lost his case and that was the end of it. She just wished there was something she could do to stop this…but there just wasn't.

* * *

That night, Devyn had been tossing and turning in her bed for what felt like hours. Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender were all breathing deeply, clearly fast asleep, although Lavender's breathing was punctuated by occasional snorts and snores.

Devyn finally gave up on trying to sleep and went down to the common room. It was dark, but the embers of the fire were still burning slightly, cooling down with every passing second. Devyn allowed her eyesight to enhance itself and she touched her wand, which was currently in her sweatshirt's pocket, thinking…

She supposed it wouldn't hurt if she practiced a few spells…she wouldn't make any noise. Making the decision, she took her wand out and twirled it a few times in her fingers.

"_Lumos!_" she whispered, and the tip of her wand lit up.

"_Incendio!" _she said softly, pointing her wand at the fire, which lit up again, crackling merrily as though it had been just lit, instead of having been put out hours ago.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!" _she muttered, pointing her wand at a pillow, which she levitated around the room a few times, entertaining herself.

A stupid idea popped into her head and she aimed her wand at herself and whispered, "_Ascendio!"_

Immediately she shot up into the air, rather high above the floor. "Whoa!" she said. She knew it had been a stupid idea, but she was rather tired and was not thinking straight. Thankfully, she had kept hold of her wand and whispered, "_Finite Incantatum!"_

She plummeted back to the floor, luckily landing on the couch, bouncing off it and tumbling onto the floor. She groaned at the sudden feeling of being on the floor and muttered, "Oh, that was stupid. Not doing that again…"

She heard a creak on the stairs and immediately picked herself up off the floor.

"Harry?"

Harry jumped at the sound of her voice and looked up from the Marauder's Map. In one hand, he held his wand, the tip of which was lit up brightly.

"What are you doing up?" Harry asked, sounding defensive.

"Couldn't sleep. And you? What are you doing, Harry?"

"Couldn't sleep either. I was watching the map and then I saw this." He walked over to her and pointed to one of the inky sets of shoeprints. The name attached to the shoeprints was…

"Wait a minute. Does that say -"

"Peter Pettigrew. Yeah…" Harry said. "I was gonna go investigate it…"

"Oh, Harry, no! You could get into so much trouble if you're caught!"

"I know, but…" he sighed heavily and looked earnestly at her. "They say Sirius Black betrayed my parents to Voldemort and also murdered one of their friends –"

"Yeah, Peter Pettigrew…" Devyn said. Harry nodded.

"But the map says that Pettigrew is alive and is in the castle! I mean, something isn't adding up here, you know? I just…I need to know the truth. They were my parents, Devyn. I need to know…"

"Harry, I just…no, you're not going."

Harry looked like he was about to protest vehemently but Devyn held up a hand and said, "You're not going without me."

Harry grinned broadly at her and said, "Let's go then, Scooby!"

"Rall right, Raggy!" Devyn joked back, in her best Scooby Doo voice. Harry chuckled and shook his head.

"That was a horrible Scooby voice."

"Yeah well, I tried and therefore you shouldn't criticize me," Devyn said. Harry laughed and said, "So if I'm Shaggy, and you're Scooby…who would the others be?"

"Hmm, Hermione would be Velma, hands down. Ron would be Daphne, if only cause of the red hair…which leaves Neville to be Fred."

Harry and Devyn looked at each other and shook their heads. "No, I think you would be Fred, Harry; Hermione would be Velma, Ron would be Daphne, Neville would be Scooby and I would be Shaggy."

"Yeah, that's much better," Harry agreed. "But I don't think I would be Fred."

"You're kinda the leader of our little group of friends. So yeah, you're our Fred."

Harry rolled his eyes and Devyn started humming the Scooby Doo theme song under her breath and Harry chuckled.

"Okay, we seriously need to be quiet. We're gonna be caught if we aren't," Devyn said. Harry nodded and they fell silent.

As Harry checked the Marauder's Map to see if the location of Pettigrew's label had changed, Devyn was thinking about what Black said to her.

_Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew. He's alive. He's the one you should be worried about, not me! He's the one who wants Harry dead, not me!_

Devyn sincerely hoped she and Harry weren't walking into danger here. All she wanted was a quiet, peaceful year where she wouldn't fear for her and her friends' lives. That wasn't too much to ask for was it?


	24. Chapter 24

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 24**

"Put that light out!"

Devyn started slightly when she heard a rather disgruntled portrait call out at her and Harry, both of whom had their wand tips lit up.

"Sorry," they said softly in unison as they looked at the Map. Devyn's heart jumped into throat when she saw that Peter Pettigrew seemed to be about 20 feet in front of them.

They looked at each other and then held up their wands, to try and see through the all-encompassing gloom that surrounded them. They couldn't see anything, but when they looked down at the magical parchment again, they noticed that Pettigrew seemed to be moving toward them, so they stayed put but kept their wands raised, looking around for the supposedly deceased man.

Pettigrew's movement was erratic at best, dashing diagonally across the hall in small lines. Devyn strained her ears. She couldn't hear him. Why couldn't she hear him? Movement that fast and unstable should have caused at least some noise.

All Devyn could hear was the pattering of what she supposed were mice within the walls. Hogwarts was full of the small rodents.

The Map informed them that Pettigrew started making a beeline right for them, and Devyn and Harry followed his movement. At the last second, Pettigrew skirted around them, and when they turned to try and face the person that had just passed them, they jumped and let out rather loud exclamations of fear – but the only people they saw were themselves, or rather their reflection in a mirror.

They sighed in frustration at both their reactions to their reflections and the fact that the Map had apparently misled them, lied to them…why had it showed Pettigrew as being alive and in the castle, if he wasn't?

Devyn supposed it could have been Pettigrew's ghost, but they would have felt him pass them. Ghosts notoriously left a breeze of cold air behind them everywhere they went. They were practically made of frigid air. Devyn didn't think it was a ghost, and for that matter, she wasn't even sure if the Map showed ghosts.

So, had Pettigrew been there or not? What was going on? Devyn and Harry whirled around, aiming their wand behind them, searching for any sign that another human being had just passed them, but there was nothing.

"Watch it, kids!" a portrait called out. They apparently didn't appreciate Devyn and Harry waving their wands around while they were lit up like miniature suns.

"We're trying to sleep here!" another protested.

"Yes, we are," said a third.

Devyn and Harry looked down at the Map and noticed, panic running through them, that Snape was heading their way.

"Oh, of all the rotten luck," Devyn muttered. She whispered, "_Nox_," and her wandlight went out.

"_Mischief Managed. Nox,_" Harry said. The Map went blank and his wandlight went out. They were plunged into darkness for only a few seconds, and Devyn heard Harry rustling around a little – she suspected he was hiding the Map – before another wandlight illuminated around them, and Snape was standing in back of them.

Devyn and Harry turned around to face him, and he sneered like always.

"Potter. Murphy. What are you doing wandering the corridors at night?"

"I was sleepwalking," Harry said. Devyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Snape wasn't _that _stupid; in fact, he was very clever and he would see through that in a second.

"Indeed? Both of you?" Snape sneered, looking between the two of them.

"No," Devyn said. "I was following Harry to make sure he didn't hurt himself."

Snape's lip curled and he said, "Well, Potter should count himself lucky that he has such protective friends."

"I do count myself as lucky," Harry said defiantly. "Devyn's a fantastic friend."

Devyn smiled at him but Snape glared at Harry and said, "How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter. He, too, was exceedingly arrogant. Strutting about the castle -"

"My dad didn't _strut_," Harry interrupted the Potions Master, his entire disposition becoming defensive and angry. Harry hated it when Snape insulted his father, and Devyn couldn't blame him. It wasn't right to speak ill of the dead. They couldn't defend themselves, and beyond that, it was downright cowardly.

"And nor do I," Harry continued. "Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you could lower your wand."

Snape did, in fact, lower his wand after a moment's hesitation, but instead of pointing it at their faces, he used it to indicate their sweatshirt pockets.

"Turn out your pockets," he ordered suddenly. When they didn't immediately obey him, his eyes glittered maliciously and he repeated himself, anger coloring his words. "**Turn out your pockets.**"

Reluctantly, they did as he told them; Devyn pulled her wand out from her pocket and Harry did the same, with the addition of the Marauder's Map. Snape smirked triumphantly at both of them, which spurred Devyn into speech.

"What, is carrying our wands against the rules now?" she snarled. Snape's smirk immediately disappeared and he growled, "Watch your tongue, Ms. Murphy, or you might find yourself in detention."

Devyn rolled her eyes but said nothing more. Snape turned his gaze on Harry and stared at the Marauder's Map from his hand.

"What's this?" Snape asked suspiciously.

"Spare bit of parchment," Harry lied. That actually wasn't a bad lie, but again, Snape was very clever, and he was looking at the Map as though he had seen it before, which was a very bad sign for them.

"Really?" Snape said. "Open it."

_He knows_, Devyn thought, her heart sinking horribly. _He knows what it is._

Having no other option, Harry opened the blank Map and Snape placed his wand in the middle and said, "Reveal your secrets."

A ripple of slight relief ran through her. _The Map only works if you use the password. Snape clearly knows that it's a Map, but he doesn't know the password._

Devyn stepped closer to Harry in order to read what the Map was saying, because inky letters were spider-webbing their way out from the spot where Snape's wand touched the parchment.

"Read it," Snape ordered Harry. Harry bit his lip, looking as though he really would rather not, but took a breath and narrated what the Map was writing.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Hoot offer their compliments to Professor Snape and…" Harry trailed off, smirking slightly to himself.

"Go on," Snape said. Devyn glanced at it and stifled a laugh. Snape wasn't going to like what was coming next.

Harry looked up at Snape and said, quite unabashedly, "And request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."

"Why you insolent little -!" Snape snarled at Harry.

"Professor!"

Snape whirled around and Devyn almost laughed when she saw who it was behind Snape. Harry's eyes widened as Moony stepped out from behind Snape. If Snape had been surprised, he recovered very quickly.

"Well, well, Lupin…" he said, his voice dripping with acidic hatred. "Out for a little walk…in the moonlight, are we?"

Devyn had to physically stop herself from snapping at Snape to keep his mouth shut by standing on her own foot. Moony, to his credit, ignored Snape's jibe and looked past him towards Harry and Devyn.

"Harry, Devyn," Moony said, walking around Snape towards them. "Are you alright?"

Devyn and Harry nodded but Snape, obviously feeling the need to put in his two cents, said, "That remains to be seen."

Moony stood with his hands in his pants pockets while Snape leaned forward and snatched the Map from Harry's grasp. "I have just now confiscated a rather curious artifact from Mr. Potter and Ms. Murphy. Take a look, Lupin. It's supposed to be your area of expertise."

Snape gave the Map to Moony (_Big mistake_, Devyn thought. _And certainly not your last, Snape_.) and Moony took hold of it with an almost inaudible sigh and examined it closely. When he opened it, and read the writing on it, he looked up at Harry and Devyn with very subtle hints of surprise and concern crossing his expression.

"Clearly, it's full of Dark magic," Snape said, sounding seriously paranoid. Moony raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh I seriously doubt it, Severus. It looks to me as though it's merely a parchment designed to insult anyone who tries to read it. I suspect it's a Zonko product."

He chuckled but Devyn could tell it was fake. Moony knew exactly what this was; he had helped write it after all. Snape tried to reach for it again, but Moony quickly pulled it out of Snape's reach, his expression almost saying _"Too slow. Really did you honestly think you were going to get it that easily?"_

Devyn bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing and Moony said, "Nevertheless, I will investigate any hidden qualities it may possess." He folded the Map back up and commented, "It is, after all, as you say, _my _area of expertise. Harry, Devyn…would you come with me please?"

Harry and Devyn followed Moony as he backed away from Snape and said, "Professor, goodnight."

Devyn, although she was immensely relieved that Moony had shown up when he did, couldn't help but feel like she and Harry were in for the scolding of a lifetime.

* * *

As Moony led Harry and Devyn into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he said, "Come in. Now, I haven't the faintest idea, Harry, how this Map came to be in your possession, but quite frankly, I am astounded that you didn't hand it in."

Devyn looked down although Moony wasn't even scolding her. But she knew it was coming. However, it seemed like Harry was to be reprimanded first.

"Did it never occur to you that this," he held up the Map briefly, "in the hands of Sirius Black is a map to you?"

Harry swallowed shook his head.

"No," Moony said.

"No, sir," Harry murmured. Moony stepped towards the two of them and, keeping his eyes on Harry, he said, "Now, your father never set much store by the rules either, but he and your mother gave their lives to save yours."

His voice was soft but increased in volume when he said, "And gambling their sacrifice by wandering around the castle, unprotected, with a killer on the loose, seems to me a pretty poor way to repay them!"

Harry looked down, clearly ashamed of himself and Devyn jumped when she heard Moony address her loudly.

"And you!" he said, turning to her. It only now occurred to Devyn how tall her godfather actually was. Usually his height seemed reassuring, but now, when he was this angry, it made her feel two feet tall…and she didn't like it.

She wasn't going to be cowed by anyone, least of all her godfather. She squared her shoulders and looked up at him, her jaw set.

"I expected much, much more of you, Devyn! I thought you were smarter than this! You know what Black is capable of, and yet you still put yourself in danger! I am extremely disappointed in you! I thought you had inherited your parents' common sense, but apparently I was wrong!"

Devyn tried not to flinch when he yelled at her, but it was a knee-jerk reaction; she couldn't help it.

"I cannot believe that you would allow Harry to go wandering around when you know there's a killer after him! How could you be so stupid?! I have asked you in the past to not put yourself in danger, and each time you have deliberately disobeyed me! Your parents would be ashamed of you! _I_ am ashamed of you!"

Devyn felt as though the wind had been knocked from her body. Tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. The thought that Moony would hardly be satisfied to see her cry ran through her mind, but she demolished that thought within seconds.

"I don't have to stand here and take this abuse from you," Devyn said angrily. And with that, she turned on her heel and marched straight out of the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, leaving a rather stunned Moony behind. She walked right on out, ignoring her godfather's protests and callings of her name.

She stopped just outside the classroom and waited for Harry, swiping furiously at her tears. Just before he came out, she heard Harry say, "Just so you know, Professor, Devyn tried to stop me going out tonight. And she only came along, I think anyway, to make sure nothing happened to me. She was only trying to protect me. You can yell at me all you want, but she didn't deserve that."

Moony was silent and Harry said, "Oh, and I don't think that Map always works. Earlier on, it showed someone in the castle. Someone I know to be dead."

"Oh, really?" Moony said, sounding intrigued. "Who might that be?"

"Peter Pettigrew," Harry answered.

Moony's answer came after a second's hesitation, his voice sounding slightly fearful. "That's not possible."

"It's just what I saw. Good night, Professor."

Harry walked out of the classroom and sighed when he saw Devyn standing there. As soon as she saw him, she started walking back to Gryffindor Tower. Harry caught up with her after a few seconds and said, "You know, I'm sure he didn't mean what he said, Devyn. He was just worried -"

"I don't want to talk about it, Harry," Devyn said, sniffing and angrily wiping her tears away. They just wouldn't stop coming.

"Alright. But you didn't see his face after you walked out. He looked like he really regretted saying those things."

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Devyn snapped.

"Okay, sorry," Harry said quickly.

"No, it's not your fault. It's just…I've never fought with him before. And I never thought he ever say anything like that to me and…I don't know, it just hurt."

Harry put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed before letting go again. They walked back to Gryffindor Tower in silence and when they got up the stairs, they parted ways, each muttering a good night to the other.

Devyn re-entered her dormitory and climbed into her bed, anger and hurt burning in her chest. Tears kept leaking out of her eyes and after a while, Devyn just gave up on trying to brush them away.

She actually cried herself to sleep that night, thinking about the awful things her godfather said to her. And the worst part about all of this was…he was right. She should have known better. Her parents _would _be ashamed of her.

_But_, she thought, anger replacing the sadness she felt, _I didn't deserve to get yelled at like that! That wasn't fair and he had no right to say those things to me! What was I going to do? Let Harry go off on his own and possibly get hurt?_

_**But you shouldn't have gone off in the first place, Devyn**_**, **Snow told her.

_I know, Snow, but still! He shouldn't have had said what he said. _

_**Yeah, but you know he was only saying those things because he was upset that you were possibly putting yourself in harm's way again.**_

_It's not like I was going looking for harm, or danger, or trouble, nor do any of us! It usually find us! And I'm sick of everyone acting like we're stupid little children that can't take care of ourselves. I think we've proven that we can, don't you?_

_**Well, yes, but he's your godfather, Devyn. It's in his nature to be worried about your safety.**_

_I wish he'd worry less sometimes._

_**You don't mean that.**_

_Don't I?_

_**No, you don't. You know if Moony suddenly didn't care what you did, you'd be upset and hurt. You know that.**_

…_Shut up, Snow. Look, I just want to be mad at him in peace, okay? I think I deserve to be a little childish every once and awhile and just be unreasonable. _

_**Yeah, alright, fair enough. But you know that you being mad at him is going to hurt him, right?**_

_So what? He hurt me. Now it's time I repay the favor. _

Thankfully, after that, Snow remained silent. Devyn knew she shouldn't have gone off searching for Pettigrew, but she wasn't about to let Harry go alone, was she? Besides, she didn't really care if being mad at Moony hurt him. What he said really hurt her and she didn't deserve that.

She could take care of herself. And besides, it wasn't like they were in any danger tonight. Black wasn't stupid enough to go wandering around the halls of Hogwarts, especially when there would be teachers patrolling everywhere. Pettigrew hadn't been a danger as he hadn't even been there.

The only 'danger' they had even come close to was the danger of getting detention from Snape, and even that was avoided.

She wasn't a little kid anymore and she was tired of being treated like one every time she turned around. Every time she had put herself in danger willingly, it was to save a friend's life, and prevent Voldemort from returning to power. She only put herself in danger when it was necessary.

She didn't do it because she wanted to. She did it because she had to. Because she wasn't going to let the monster who was responsible for so much terror and bloodshed return to power. Because she wasn't going to let another family get torn apart like hers (and so many others') had been.

She refused to let that happen. So Moony could get stuffed if he thought what she did was foolish. She was only trying to find out what was going on. Honestly, the last time she had done something like this, she had helped save Ginny from dying; helped Harry to kill a Basilisk; defended the entire Muggle-born population of Hogwarts from Tom Riddle and his Basilisk; once again helped to prevent the resurrection of Voldemort; and got Hagrid's name cleared, which subsequently got him released from Azkaban Prison.

She could only imagine what would have happened if she and her friends hadn't decided to act. The entire Wizarding World would probably have gone up in flames by now if they hadn't interfered.

Did she wish she could avoid danger all together while protecting the world she loved and the people in it? Sure, of course she did; but it was unavoidable. They come together as a package, and if you didn't take a few risks now and then, you'd never accomplish anything.

So maybe a few of the things she had done were foolish, but they paid off in the end, didn't they? She knew what she was doing, but she wished that Moony would open his eyes and see that she wasn't a little girl who needed protecting. She didn't need a knight in shining armor to save her from the nasty dangers of the world.

She was her _own _knight in shining armor and she liked it that way.

It was thoughts like these that raced through her mind as she finally fell asleep.

* * *

**Okay, so Devyn and Remus had their first argument. Just so you know, I've been planning this chapter for months on end and I'm so glad that I finally got to write it out. I hope you liked it. Please leave a review and tell me what you liked, disliked, etc.**

**Please? Pretty please?**


	25. Chapter 25

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**AN: I'm going to be switching it up after the line break in this chapter. It will go from Devyn's POV to Remus'. I mean, it's a third person POV anyway, but it will be focusing on Remus after the break. So anyway, here we go.**

**Chapter 25**

The next morning, when Devyn woke up, she was still angry and hurt. Part of her had wished that those feelings would disappear overnight and she could just forgive her godfather, but a larger (more realistic) part of her knew that they wouldn't.

What Moony had said to Devyn was tantamount to betrayal in her mind and just thinking about it hurt her. She physically felt a stabbing pain in her chest every time she thought about how Moony yelled at her and the things that he said.

The anger and pain she was feeling over the entire situation made for a seriously awkward DADA class. Devyn kept her head down the entire time, and didn't raise her hand to answer any questions. She could practically feel Moony's gaze burning a hole into her head, but she refused to meet it. She knew she was being childish, but this wasn't something that she was just going to be able to forgive and forget. Not immediately anyway.

She also noticed that Hermione kept looking from Moony to her, as though she was trying to figure what exactly had happened. Eventually it seemed to click in Hermione's mind that she and her godfather had gotten into an argument and that Devyn's feelings had been hurt.

Devyn glanced up at Hermione for a brief moment and her brown eyes were fixated on Moony, who was sitting at his desk, probably grading some papers. Devyn was kind of curious as to why one of her best friends was staring so avidly at her godfather, but then she noticed that Hermione looked like she was about to cry.

Devyn's curiosity won over her stubbornness and she looked up for the briefest of moments and she saw that the expression her godfather was wearing was utterly heartbreaking. Even from where she was sitting she could tell that Moony's normally bright blue eyes had dulled out of sheer misery and he looked like he was on the verge of tears too.

Devyn, rather savagely, felt as though Moony deserved this pain but at the same time, she felt guilt wash over her; Moony had had enough pain in his life…he didn't deserve anymore. Devyn didn't like fighting with him, or behaving this way towards him, but he needed to realize that what he had said was completely out of order.

Devyn returned her eyes to the textbook chapter they were supposed to be reading, but soon found herself looking up at Neville and Harry, both of whom were intermittently looking up at Moony; Neville looked utterly confused about Moony's miserable expression and Harry looked caught somewhere between sympathy and vicious satisfaction. It was an odd combination to say the least, but Devyn understood the origins of the two feelings. On the one hand, Harry hated to see his favorite teacher in pain, but on the other, he was angry about the things that Moony had said to Devyn.

Finally, at last, at long last, the bell sounded, signifying the end of that class. Everyone started packing up their things and just as Devyn was about to leave the classroom, she heard, "Devyn? Could you stay for a moment please?"

His voice was cautious and quiet, as though he were afraid of saying something wrong or hurtful again. Devyn's posture stiffened and Neville looked at her questioningly.

"I'll tell you later," she said quietly to Neville. He glanced at Moony, his eyes changing from mild confusion to suspicious comprehension. While he may not have understood the entire situation, he was intelligent enough to figure out that something had gone wrong. Very wrong.

Neville leaned forward and kissed her quickly, as though to tell her that he was there for her. Devyn smiled and squeezed his hand before nodding to the door, telling him that he could leave. Ron, who hadn't noticed anything, left with Harry almost immediately with the rest of the class and Hermione was hovering between the classroom and the corridor, clearly torn as to which direction she should take.

Devyn nodded to her, telling her she didn't need to stay and she smiled sympathetically and nodded. As she and Neville left the room, Devyn turned and walked back to her desk, where she sat down and kept her eyes on the wooden table in front of her.

"Devyn," Moony sighed. He walked over to her and pulled out the chair next to her, the legs screeching loudly on the stone floor. Devyn winced at the sound and Moony hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to her.

"Devyn?" Moony said softly. She didn't look at him.

"Please look at me…"

Devyn felt tears well up in her eyes at the forlorn tone in her godfather's voice. He was absolutely miserable and she was, too, and she hated it. She hated that she was so angry with her godfather, and she was angry that it hurt so much, and she was angry that he was hurting so much…she was just angry.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and looked up at him. Moony's eyes grew watery at the sight of the tears that were threatening to fall in her eyes.

"Oh, Devyn…I…" Moony reached out for her, but she shifted away, almost unconsciously. His hand stopped in mid-air and shook for a moment before resting back on the desk, now clenched into a fist.

"I'm so, so sorry. I never…I didn't…I could never…ever mean what I said. I could never be ashamed of you. And I know that your parents wouldn't be either. They'd be proud of you…so very proud…just as I am."

"Don't," Devyn said firmly.

"What?" Moony asked.

"Don't," Devyn repeated, a little louder this time, rising out of her chair and standing over him. "Don't you dare…you sit there and you look like a little kicked puppy and try to apologize to me…do you have any idea, any inkling of what you said to me…do you realize what that did to me? You will never know how much what you said really hurt me, and I can't just forgive that! So don't you dare sit there and bleat out some stupid apology. I don't want an apology."

Moony looked as though Devyn had slapped him. He swallowed hard and looked down at his hands. "What would you have me do?"

His question was so quiet, Devyn almost didn't hear it.

"Please," he begged. "I don't want to fight with you. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I know what I said to you was awful and I never should have said it, but I just…I'm scared, Devyn. I'm terrified that Black is going to get to you somehow…and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. I've already lost you once, and I don't think I can go through that again. He's taken everyone I ever cared about, and I can't let him take you. I won't survive that, Devyn…"

Devyn was silent as she stared at him. He looked up at her and Devyn saw the tears that were extremely close to falling from his eyes.

"I was so scared that if you kept wandering around that you would get hurt…I truly wasn't thinking when I said those things and I'm sorry. None of it was true, you know that…don't you?"

Devyn shrugged halfheartedly and said, "I know that you're always going to worry about me, but I can take care of myself. And I won't be mad forever, but what you said really hurt me and I'm not going to forget about that in a hurry."

Moony nodded and said, "I don't expect you to just forget about it. I just wanted you to know that I am truly…truly sorry for what I said."

"I'm just going to need space for a while, and that might mean not speaking. Just looking at you hurts me so much because all I can think about is what you said…it plays in my head over and over like a broken record and if I'm going to put it behind me then I really need to do it on my own. I understand that you're sorry, but I can't be around you right now and I can't forgive you right now."

Moony nodded, although he looked as though all he wanted to do was hug her tightly and never let her go.

"I…I understand," he said. His voice sounded like his throat was closing up on him just from trying to keep the tears at bay.

Devyn smiled at him, even though it was sadly, and quickly kissed his cheek before turning on her heel and leaving the classroom.

* * *

Remus watched Devyn leave the classroom, feeling a little bit better since they talked. He knew that he wouldn't feel completely at ease until they were back to the way they had been before their fight. He absolutely hated the fact that what he had said had damaged her so much.

He never meant for that to happen…

He only wanted her to be safe and it seemed like every time he turned around, she was getting into more mortal danger. He knew that wanting her to be safe wasn't an excuse for what he said, but that didn't mean he wasn't sorry.

Because he was. He was so immensely sorry that it hurt. The pain that had coursed through his heart when he came into class that day and saw that Devyn refused to look at him almost knocked the wind out of him.

Knowing that she was so angry at him and so hurt over something _he _did made it hard for him to even draw breath without feeling like a knife was piercing his heart. So he kept his head down for most of the lesson also because he didn't want his students to see him break down like a small child.

Most of his students, including Ron, didn't notice anything, but three of them – Harry, Hermione, and Neville – did. Harry was the only one who knew what had actually happened and the look on his face was half angry, half sympathetic.

Neville was utterly confused, which led Remus to believe that Devyn hadn't told him yet what had happened. Remus had always liked Neville, and he knew that Neville respected him. There was no one that Remus would trust with his goddaughter more than Neville, which was saying a lot considering the boy was only thirteen years old. However, Remus had a sinking feeling that once Devyn told Neville what had happened, most (if not all) of the respect that the young Longbottom boy had for him would fly out the window.

As for Hermione, she also looked slightly confused, but also slightly suspicious. It was clear that she knew something was up but that she wasn't sure exactly what that something was. He had noticed that she was on the verge of tears herself when she saw that he was holding back his own tears with great difficulty.

He didn't quite understand why this was, but he suspected it had something to do with the fact that Hermione simply didn't like seeing others in pain.

Thankfully, the class finally ended and Remus called after Devyn to stay behind for a moment. He wasn't entirely certain as to what he had been expecting, but he could say, without any doubt in his mind, that he never expected his goddaughter to shift away from his touch.

She had always loved hugging him – perhaps because he was family and it gave her that familial feeling that she had missed out on for so long – and he never complained about it. Why would he? After having thought that he had lost her for ten years, sometimes all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and never let her go; never let her get hurt…

Of course, he knew he couldn't do that. There was something special about kids and Devyn was no exception. They were much more resilient than adults give them credit for. It was for this reason that somewhere inside him he knew that Devyn was going to need to explore the world in order for her to be a part of it one day, and he knew that that meant she was going to get hurt at one point or another. He just wished that she didn't keep putting herself into life-threatening situations.

First there had been the whole thing with Quirrell. Remus only knew half of what had happened down there and he suspected that amount might have been generous. And then there was the Chamber of Secrets last year. It was only a few months ago that he found out that the legendary monster that dwelled in the Chamber was a Basilisk and that his goddaughter had come face to face with it and Harry killed it and the two of them saved little Ginny Weasley.

And that was all he knew, and he suspected that there was much, much more to the story than what Devyn, or anyone else for that matter (a certain silver-haired Headmaster came to mind) had told him.

He hated being left out of the loop like that, especially when it concerned his goddaughter and Harry, James and Lily's only son, who was family to him in all but blood.

And now Black was on the loose. Remus knew, of course, that he had escaped to finish what he started and destroy the Potter line for good. Remus would die before he let Black touch a single hair on Harry's head, but he was scared to death that Devyn would caught in the crossfire when Black eventually caught up with Harry. Remus was in no doubt whatsoever that Black would get to Harry at some point or another. Black was far too clever to be delayed for too long.

He just didn't know what he would do if he lost Devyn.

He really didn't know.

It broke his heart to know that Devyn felt she couldn't be around him without hurting emotionally, but he would do as she had asked and give her some time and space. He only wished he hadn't said anything. He knew that Devyn wasn't stupid – quite the opposite actually – and he knew that she wasn't a little kid anymore…she and her friends had dealt with more in two years than most adult Witches or Wizards ever do in their entire lifetimes…

But he simply couldn't help treating her like a little kid. She was his little girl, regardless of the fact that he wasn't her biological father. He just wanted to protect her and all he ended up doing was hurt her…he never wanted that.

He had been upset and scared that they could've gotten hurt…and then the shock of seeing the Marauder's Map after so many years…he lost control and he took it out on Devyn. Harry had been absolutely right – she hadn't deserved that.

But he had done all he could do. He apologized and she said that she understood but that what she needed was time and space. He was just going to have to give her what she needed.

The only problem was…that was easier said than done.


	26. Chapter 26

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.**

**Chapter 26**

Devyn yawned widely as she sat at the small circular table she always did in Divination, with Neville. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at the table next to theirs. Neville was staring into the crystal ball they were supposed to be trying to See something in.

Devyn thought it was a load of tosh, which was why she was only staring at it and not really seeing it. She was mulling over the events of the past two weeks. Defense Against the Dark Arts had been slightly awkward all week, but it was getting easier as Devyn forgave Moony slowly.

It took some much needed encouragement from Hermione, Neville, and Harry but she was really making an effort to put their fight behind her. She didn't like fighting with Moony, so she was trying to get over it as quick as she possibly could. It was easier said than done, but there you go. She thought she was getting close to moving on from that argument and the resulting feeling of betrayal.

To make the entire process of forgiveness easier for herself, she stopped going to the Patronus lessons, but kept practicing on her own. Without the Dementor Boggart to give her real practice, it was much easier than it would have been, but now she could keep her corporeal Patronus around for at least thirty seconds. Once she went back to the Patronus lessons (for she planned to, very soon), she would see how much she had actually improved.

Surprisingly, as she forgave Moony bit by bit, she found that her love for him was growing stronger, which in turn made her Patronus memory stronger, which in turn made her Patronus stronger. So maybe this fight was good for them. And true to his word – although she didn't expect Moony to be anything else – he had given her the space that she needed and she thought that she might be finally ready to fully forgive him.

_After all_, Devyn thought with another yawn, _no stable relationship is without its flaws and occasional arguments. We'll make it through this. _

"Broaden your minds…you must look beyond…the art of crystal-gazing is in the clearing of the Inner Eye. Only then, can you see…try again."

Devyn blinked her way out of her stupor as she became dimly aware of Trelawney's voice floating somewhere behind her. She sat up a little and looked into the crystal ball, giggling to herself when she saw that Ron was completely passed out and Harry seemed very close to following his lead.

Devyn glanced at Neville and smiled to herself; he had been angry on her behalf once Devyn told him exactly what was going on. He understood that she was trying to forgive Moony but told her, in no uncertain terms, that he wouldn't forgive Moony until she had, in full.

Devyn thought that was extremely sweet; this was a thought she had very often when it came to Neville. She was very lucky to have him as a friend, and luckier still to have him as a boyfriend.

Thankfully Trelawney flitted right past their table and went straight to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's.

"Now, what do we have here?"

Ron woke up with a snore-like grunt and Hermione said, "Oh…ah, do you mind me trying?"

"Ah!" Trelawney said, and Devyn raised an eyebrow. Why on earth would Hermione be so eager to try and see something in the crystal ball? She thought Divination was a bunch of rubbish, an opinion that Devyn was quickly coming to share.

"The Grim," Hermione said after looking at the crystal for a moment. "Possibly."

_Oh, well, there it is_, Devyn thought. _She wants information. Trelawney is always going on about that stupid Grim…very clever Hermione, but she'll see right through it. Perhaps if it were Harry that 'saw' the Grim…she might have indulged it then…but for you…_

Trelawney's eyes left the translucent ball, which was swirling with fog, and went to Hermione. She leaned forward and said, "My dear, from the first moment you stepped foot in my class, I sensed that you did not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination."

Hermione's expression cooled, but Trelawney didn't seem to notice it. Devyn nudged Neville and when he looked up, she nodded in Hermione's direction. Neville turned slightly to watch what was happening.

Devyn raised both eyebrows this time as she watched Trelawney take Hermione's hand and turn it upwards, and traced the lines on her palm. "No, you see, there…ah you may be young in years, but your heart is as shriveled as an old maid's, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave."

Trelawney, clearly under the impression she hadn't said something rather offensive, smiled and closed Hermione's hand, causing her fingers to curl up like she was making a loose fist. Hermione's expression went from annoyed to furious in the blink of an eye.

Devyn nearly keeled over from shock when Hermione pulled her hand out of Trelawney's, grabbed her backpack, and stormed out of the classroom, knocking the crystal ball off the table as she did, causing it to hit the floor and roll out the door after her.

"Have I said something?" Trelawney asked Harry innocently. Harry didn't respond but that might have been because he was as dumbfounded as everyone else. Hermione Granger had just stormed out of a class. _Hermione Granger_.

Devyn thought she would die from sheer and utter astonishment in that moment. She honestly never thought she'd ever see the day when Hermione left a classroom right in the middle of a lesson. That just wasn't Hermione.

Something was definitely going on with her, and Devyn was actually happy about it. She loved Hermione dearly but sometimes she did act like she had a stick the size of Europe up her rear.

She could do with a little lightening up.

* * *

"She's gone mental, Hermione has," Ron commented. The four of them – Devyn, Neville, Ron, and Harry - were making their way back down from the North Tower and Devyn shot him a look, which he ignored. "I mean, not that she wasn't always mental, but now it's out in the open for everyone to see."

"Ron!" Devyn scolded him. He shrugged and offered no other response beyond that. Devyn rolled her eyes and stopped walking when she noticed the crystal ball that Hermione had knocked over resting on one of the stairs. Harry, who was slightly ahead of her, stopped as well when he saw it and said, "Hang on."

He crouched down and picked up the large glass sphere. "We'd better take this back."

Ron looked at like he was insane and said, "I'm not going back."

"Fine," Harry said. "See you later."

"See you," Ron said and he kept walking. Devyn turned to Harry and said, "I'll go with you."

"Okay," he replied.

Neville kissed her quickly and said, "I'll see you later, Dev."

She nodded and smiled brightly at him before turning around and going back up the stairs with Harry. "So, how are things going with Lupin?"

Devyn shrugged and said, "As well as can be expected. I'm getting there..."

"Do you think you should tell him?" Harry asked, looking at her significantly. Devyn blinked and said, "Tell him…what?"

"You know what I'm talking about Devyn. Do you think you should tell him about…" he whispered the next word, "_Snow_."

Devyn inhaled slowly and said, "Yeah, I think I should. I think I might…I mean, he's going to figure it out sooner or later, and he's been left out of the loop for so long."

Harry nodded in agreement and said, "That might be a good opportunity for you to actually forgive him…if you think you're ready of course."

"Yeah, I think I am ready. I really hate fighting with him…and I mean, I know where he was coming from when he said those things. He still shouldn't have said them but I think I understand why he did. I just want to put the whole thing behind me…behind us."

Harry smiled and nodded. They had at last reached the top of the North Tower and went back into Trelawney's classroom. Harry noticed a small pedestal that looked as though it was made to hold a crystal ball such as the one Harry had in his hands.

The two of them moved towards it and Harry placed the crystal ball down on the pedestal, before they went to turn away and leave the classroom once more.

"_Harry Potter…_"

The two of them turned back around and stared at the crystal ball, which was now emitting a faint golden light. The closer they looked, the more they could make out what appeared to be a face…a man's face…but not just any man, Devyn realized as her heart sank deep into the pit of her stomach.

It was Sirius Black's face that was staring at them from inside the depths of the crystal ball. She and Harry looked at each other, shock and fear written on both of their faces. Devyn was not the least bit afraid of Black, but the fact that his image had just appeared in this crystal ball – the same one that had been sitting on Harry's table – was very disconcerting.

"_Harry Potter…_" the crystal ball said again. Before they could even react to the second declaration of Harry's name, someone wheezed – although it sounded more like a death rattle to Devyn – and seized their shoulders from behind.

Harry and Devyn jumped and turned around, only to be faced with Professor Trelawney…but she looked strange…stranger than usual and normally, Devyn would have marveled at the fact that this was even possible, but there was something very wrong with Trelawney.

"Professor Trelawney –" Harry said, his tone suggesting that he was going to try and explain why the two of them were back in the classroom. Evidently, however, Trelawney was not interested because she cut him off with another wheeze and said, "_**He will return tonight.**_"

"Sorry?" Harry said, looking more and more nervous with each passing second. Trelawney's grip on their shoulders was becoming tighter and tighter and growing increasingly more painful. Devyn tried to ignore the pain and focus on what Trelawney was saying. It seemed, if Devyn's assumptions were correct, that their Divination professor was delivering an actual prophecy.

"_**He will return tonight,**_" she repeated, looking somewhere off into the distance. She was clearly unaware that they were even there. "_**He who betrayed his friends, whose heart rots with murder shall break free. Innocent blood will be split and servant and Master will be reunited once more!**_"

She choked on her own saliva, sputtered for a moment and jerked as though she had just reentered her body. She looked around in confusion before spotting Harry and Devyn, both of whom were looking like they had just encountered several Dementors at once.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, children…did you say something?"

Devyn shook her head, her eyes wide and fearful. Harry gulped and said, "No. Nothing."

The two of them pulled away from Trelawney as fast as they possibly could and practically ran from the classroom, down the North Tower stairs and only slowed down when they were sure they were far shot of the Divination classroom.

Devyn turned to Harry as they were walking back up to Gryffindor Tower and said, "What the hell was that? Was that a real prophecy?"

"I don't know," Harry said, running a hand through his ever messy hair. "But I think I know what it was about. Sirius Black is going to break free tonight and he's coming after me. And I'm going to kill him."

"Not on my watch, he bloody well isn't," Devyn growled and for what felt like the seven millionth time in far less days, Black's words from their meeting months ago came back to her.

_I'm not trying to kill Harry!_

_It's Pettigrew you have to worry about, not me! He's the one trying to kill Pettigrew, not me!_

Devyn suspected this was actually true because the Map showed them that Pettigrew had been in the castle and the Map never lied. Moony had helped make the Marauder's Map…he wouldn't have left any room for errors; not at the time that he and his friends made it, nor now.

Peter Pettigrew was alive, and if Pettigrew was alive, then that meant…

"Harry…do you think there's even a possibility that Black's innocent? That he's not trying to kill you?"

Harry looked at her sharply and said, "What do you mean? He's been after me this entire time!"

"Harry, just hear me out, okay? Look, Pettigrew was in this castle."

"The Map was lying."

"I don't think it was, Harry. I think Pettigrew is alive. And if he's alive then that means that Black never murdered him at all."

"That doesn't mean he wasn't in league with Voldemort!" Harry snapped. "Black betrayed my parents and I am going to avenge them. So stay out of my way if you know what's good for you, Devyn. He's going to find me tonight, and I will kill him."

Harry stormed off, leaving Devyn standing there in shock.

_Harry's not going to listen to reason. He's convinced that Black's guilty and that he's out to kill Harry. But I really think that he's only here to try and protect Harry. Oh, this is such a bloody mess. _

For once, Snow was silent and Devyn was thankful for that. Perhaps it was because Snow agreed with her, but she really didn't need two voices – hers and Snow's – arguing with each other in her head right now. Snow could be really helpful sometimes, but other times she could be a right pain in the –

Devyn, who had been walking slowly up the stairs, stopped suddenly.

_Snow. Moony. I've got to tell him. I have to tell him now. I have a really bad feeling that if I don't tell him now, he's going to find out very soon and not necessarily from me._

Devyn turned on her heel and went straight to the DADA classroom. Luckily the door was open and she saw Moony sitting at his desk, reading a paper.

"Moony!" she said. He jumped and looked up. He smiled widely when he saw her and immediately got up.

"Devyn!" he said, walking towards her. "I was just thinking about you. You know…I was wondering…I know I said I'd give you your space, but being at odds with you is driving me insane. I was hoping maybe we could just put this behind us and…is everything alright, Devyn?"

Moony clearly had just noticed the slightly frantic expression on Devyn's face and she nodded. "Yes, everything's fine. There's just something I need to tell you. You see…I don't really know how to put – are you alright, Moony?"

Moony had just grimaced in pain and was rubbing at his shoulder muscles. "Yes, I'm fine…just hurting a little."

And then it dawned on her.

"It's tonight, isn't it?" she asked, being very careful to use vague terms. He nodded and Devyn inhaled sharply and nodded. "Have you taken the…the potion yet?"

Moony shook his head and said, "No, not yet. Professor Snape is just finishing it up for me. Should be ready in a couple hours."

Devyn nodded and was about to go on with trying to confess about Snow to him, but before she could, Moony grumbled and said, "Oh, I hate this. I hate having to go through this every month. Do you know, before I was…you know… I really actually liked wolves? But ever since that night, and ever since the very first time I…I changed, I've absolutely hated anything to do with wolves. Anything! That's why seeing your Patronus is so hard for me. I know it's only a shape, but it's doesn't make it any easier."

Devyn closed her eyes momentarily. How on earth was she supposed to tell Moony that she was a wolf Animagus now? How could she tell him that she could willingly change into the form of the animal that he hated the most? _How?_

"I'm sorry, Devyn…you said you needed to tell me something. What was it?"

Devyn bit her lip and did some very quick thinking. She knew she couldn't tell Moony about Snow _**now**_. If she did, he'd never accept her. How could he? How could he accept her, knowing that she could transform into the animal he loathed more than anything else in the world? The only things he probably hated more than wolves were Greyback, the werewolf that infected him, and Voldemort.

"Oh...uh… I just wanted to…to tell you that…that I want to put the whole fight thing behind us as well. I've decided that I don't want to fight with you anymore…and that I'm grateful you gave me the space that I needed."

Moony smiled brightly and said, "Oh! Well, that's a relief. I'm glad that we can move past this. I've really missed you."

Devyn suddenly rushed at Moony and hugged him tightly while still being wary of the pain he was in. "I've missed you, too, Moony. I'm sorry I was so mean to you…"

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Devyn," Moony said firmly as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I shouldn't have said those things. I'm the one who should be sorry, and I am. So very sorry."

"Well, we can be sorry together, then," Devyn said, earning a chuckle from Moony. She smiled up at him in response, really very glad to hear his laugh again. Her godfather didn't laugh enough.

"There now…that's what I've missed," Moony said affectionately, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head and squeezing her tightly before letting her go.

"So," he said, looking down at her. "How's your Patronus coming along?"

"How did you know…?"

"Devyn, please, I'm your godfather, I know you…plus, Harry told me you'd carried on practicing on your own."

Devyn rolled her eyes and shook her head playfully. "It's coming along pretty well. I can hold it for about thirty seconds now, but that's without the Dementor Boggart around so I don't know how long I'd be able to hold it when faced with either a Boggart Dementor, or a real Dementor."

"Don't sell yourself short, Devyn…a Patronus, corporeal or not, is a huge achievement for someone your age, and to be able to hold it for that long is incredible."

Devyn flushed happily and said, "Yeah I know… well, anyway, I should get going. My friends are probably wondering where I am."

Moony nodded and pulled in her for one last hug before letting her go. She left the classroom, feeling both better and worse about the situation she found herself in. She was glad that she and Moony had made up, but how would he react once he found out that she was an Animagus, and a wolf one at that?

_Life is getting really complicated…_she thought, feeling annoyed. She walked back up to Gryffindor Tower, thinking about her frustratingly complex predicament, and she barely noticed that she had been standing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, which had been restored some time ago, and she was looking aggravated.

"Are you going to just stand there, muttering to yourself, or are you going to give me the password?" the Fat Lady asked, sounding very snooty.

"What's got your panties in a twist, then? Oh, _aperta sesamae_, by the way."

"Thank you," the Fat Lady said, her eye twitching. Devyn raised her eyebrows and walked through the portrait hole.

"Oi, what's up with the Fat Lady? She's in a mood, isn't she?" Devyn asked, seeing her friends sitting on their usual couch in front of the fireplace.

"She's always in a mood," Ron commented, but it was without any humor at all, which was quite unlike her red-headed friend. In fact, he sounded positively glum.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Hermione, who had tears swimming in her eyes, looked at her and said, "Buckbeak's execution is today."

Devyn felt the air leave her lungs and she collapsed into one of the armchairs. "Oh, bloody hell…"

After a few minutes of silence, Neville cleared his throat and said, "So are we just going to sit here, or are we going to go down to Hagrid's?"

They looked at each other and said in unison, "Let's go."

Devyn couldn't know for sure of course, but with Trelawney's prediction in mind, she felt that something big was about to happen…

…she only wished she knew if it was bad or good.


	27. Chapter 27

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS. **

**Chapter 27**

Devyn, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville had just reached the entrance courtyard and walked around the fountain carefully, noticing that there was a very large man sharpening an axe sitting on the other side.

_The executioner_, Devyn thought, taking in his black medieval-looking garb. Hermione folded her arms when she saw him and glared at him dangerously. The executioner didn't seem to mind, but then why would he?

He was getting paid for this, Devyn figured bitterly; what did he care if a few kids were upset about a Hippogriff being murdered for doing something that was in his nature?

The executioner watched them as they passed by him, and Hermione stalked on towards the covered bridge they knew so well.

"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak, it's just too horrible," Hermione said. They had exited the covered bridge and were about to start the descent down the well-beaten hill that would take them to Hagrid's home.

"It just got worse," Ron and Devyn said in unison, for they had just noticed the last three people they wanted to see.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Pike. Devyn wondered briefly where Goyle had gotten to, but then she found she didn't especially care.

Malfoy and his two idiot cronies were standing grouped behind one of the large stone pillars and Malfoy was holding a pair of binoculars. "Did I tell you?" the blonde slug asked his companions. "Father said I can keep the hippogriff's head. I think I'll donate it to the Gryffindor Common Room."

"Wicked," Crabbe muttered, and that seemed to be the undoing for both Hermione and Devyn. Devyn was about to charge Malfoy and beat him to a bloody pulp for being such an insensitive wart, but Hermione beat her to the punch.

"Look who's here!" Crabbe exclaimed as the three of them turned around to face the group of Gryffindors.

"Ah, come to see the show?" Malfoy asked jokingly. Something in Hermione must have snapped then because she advanced quickly on Malfoy and snarled, "You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!"

Hermione had whipped out her wand and was now pointing it at Malfoy's face, having backed him up against the pillar. The little coward was cringing, probably because, despite what he may have thought about her personally, even he couldn't deny she was skilled with a wand – far more skilled than he – and could permanently damage him if she wanted to.

"Hermione, no! He's not worth it!" Ron called out, although it seemed halfheartedly. Neville had closed his hand around Devyn's wrist, silently telling her to stay out of this and let Hermione handle this one. Devyn, for once, had no urge whatsoever to hurt Malfoy, mostly because she knew Hermione wouldn't let him get away with being so callous and horrid.

Malfoy was practically whimpering as Hermione finally lowered her wand. Devyn almost laughed aloud at the ridiculously relieved look on Malfoy's face before Malfoy started laughing with his friends.

"Wait for it," Devyn whispered to Neville, who was looking both relieved and angry that Hermione hadn't cursed Malfoy. Hermione turned, as though she was going to simply walk away, but then she hauled off and punched Malfoy right in the nose.

Malfoy called out in pain as his head snapped back against the stone pillar. "Malfoy, are you okay?!" Crabbe shouted. "Let's go!"

He and Pike seized Malfoy by the arms and rushed him away from the five Gryffindors. They turned to watch the Slytherins disappear through the covered bridge and then looked back at Hermione, who was smiling to herself.

"That felt good," Hermione commented. Harry was grinning and Ron looked shocked but very pleased.

"Not good," he said. "Brilliant!"

Devyn and Neville nodded and Devyn said, "That was priceless! Did you see his face! Oh my god, that was great!"

"You punch him all the time, Devyn," Hermione said. "Why are you so happy about this?"

"Hermione, if I'd punched him, it just would've been another tick on the tally marker. But since you punched him, it seriously caught him off guard. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you snapped and cracked him in the face."

Hermione grinned and after a few seconds of modest shock, amazement, and pride, they continued their journey down to Hagrid's house. When they reached the end of the hill and walked up to Hagrid's door, they turned to look at Buckbeak, who was sitting in the garden, almost seemingly unaware of what was about to happen to him.

His obliviousness was heartbreaking to Devyn. He was a sweet creature, really…it was Malfoy's fault that he hadn't been listening to Hagrid when he said not to insult a Hippogriff. Besides, all Malfoy got was a bad scratch, which Madam Pomfrey probably fixed in about five seconds.

If Buckbeak had seriously maimed Malfoy, or even killed him, then Devyn could understand executing Buckbeak, even if she didn't agree with the idea. But Buckbeak had been positively lenient with Malfoy and he didn't deserve to have his life taken from him.

The only reason Buckbeak was getting executed (and why he didn't have a fair trial in the first place) was because of Lucius Malfoy. He had everyone in his pocket and everyone was terrified of him. It was sick, corrupt world they lived in, and Devyn, for as much as she loved her world, really hated that part of it sometimes. And this was one of those times.

Harry knocked on Hagrid's door and their oversized friend opened it in response.

"'Ello, you five. Come in, come in…I'll make a pot o' tea…"

Hagrid seemed entirely too glum to be allowed, but Devyn had no idea how to make him feel any better. The only thing that would help Hagrid now was if the execution was called off and Buckbeak's charges were dropped.

But thinking that occurrence had even a snowball's chance in hell was optimistic to the point of pure idiocy. The five of them entered Hagrid's home and sat down at the giant table. Soon enough, Hagrid put cups of steaming, delicious tea in front of each of them and placed an extra-large cup in front of his place.

They drank in mostly silence, except for Hagrid asking how their classes were going, and if anything interesting had happened.

"Hermione punched Malfoy in the face," Ron said suddenly. Hermione glared at him, but he just shrugged. Hagrid wasn't going to turn them in, least of all Hermione, especially not for something as little as punching Malfoy in the face.

However, Hagrid turned wide-eyed to Hermione and looked at her in shock. Hermione flushed a light pink before beginning to defend or justify her actions.

"You should have heard what he was saying, Hagrid. He's such an foul…loathsome…evil little…" Hermione said, clearly struggling to come up with a word insulting enough to describe Malfoy. Devyn, from behind the rim of her tea cup, supplied the perfect word.

"Shite."

All of her friends, including Hagrid, turned their shock-filled eyes and she shrugged defiantly. "What?" she demanded. "He is a little shite. You were all thinking it; I'm just the one who said it."

Hagrid blinked a few times and then turned back to Hermione. "Moving past that fitting description for tha' boy, Hermione, you really shouldn't 'ave punched him."

"But, Hagrid, you'd have beaten to him a pulp if you heard -!" Hermione said. Hagrid held up a hand to stop her and she fell silent.

"However, I'm not entirely opposed to the fact that yah did punch him. In fact, he pro'bly deserved it," Hagrid finished. Ron, Harry, and Neville grinned in amusement, Devyn laughed, and Hermione blushed, clearly pleased that Hagrid hadn't reprimanded her.

Devyn had highly doubted that Hagrid would, because he disliked Malfoy just as much as they did, and after all, the little bug _did_ try his hardest to get Hagrid sacked, and that put him in very dangerous waters with all of them.

It was one thing to mess with them…but to go after Hagrid was starting a firestorm that no one in their right mind would want to get into. And Malfoy had started it for sure. Hagrid had wanted to be a teacher for years, and simply couldn't, mainly because of the fact that there were no spots open, but also because of the fact that Hagrid had never graduated Hogwarts and never got any formal training to be a teacher. And then, when he finally gets to live his dream, Malfoy threatens to take it away from him just because the little maggot can't deal with a bad cut from a Hippogriff? He dares to destroy Hagrid's dreams because he isn't capable of dealing with any slight problem without whining to his father to fix it?

Well…as the sayings go…you mess with one of us, _you mess with all of us_; you mess with the bull, you get the horns; play with fire and you'll get burned; and so on and so forth. The bottom line was that they will protect their own from any who would dare to try to harm them.

And now Malfoy had to learn that the hard way.

"So what was Malfoy sayin' anyways? He musta been sayin' something awful for you to hit him, Hermione. Devyn, I'd understand –"

"Hey!" Devyn protested. "I don't hit him just because I feel like it. I hit him because he deserves it. Every time I've hit him or cursed him or whatever, he's been making fun of Neville, or Hermione, or Ron, or Harry; or making some comment about my parents. Besides, the last time I hit him was when he called Hermione a Mudblood. I would have hit him today, if Hermione hadn't beaten me to the punch."

"Literally," Ron commented, and everyone groaned at the stupid pun, making Ron grin.

Hagrid conceded, nodding as he said, "Alright, I'll give yeh tha' much. You only hit him when he deserves it. But my point still stands. Devyn has no problem whacking someone around when they get too high and mighty…but you, Hermione…usually you just use your words. So what was he saying?"

Hermione didn't say anything at first; instead, she looked down at her light pink sweatshirt and then glanced out the window at Buckbeak. Hagrid followed her line of sight and nodded when he caught on.

"Oh," Hagrid said, his voice sounding oddly small for someone his size. Hermione nodded and she said, "I couldn't let him get away with it, Hagrid. I just couldn't."

Hagrid sighed and was silent for a moment before suddenly exclaiming sadly, making them all jump. They hadn't been expecting Hagrid to say anything, but he said, "Oh, look at 'im. He loves the smell o' the trees when the wind blows through 'em."

"Why don't we just set him free?" Harry asked. Devyn lowered her eyes and shook her head. That would never have worked. Evidently Hagrid agreed with her because he said, "Ah, they'd know it was me. And then Dumbledore'd get inter trouble. He's comin' down you know, Dumbledore. Says he wants ter be with me when they…when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore…great man."

They all nodded in agreement. Dumbledore was a very great man indeed, and luckily, he was also a very good man.

"We'll stay with you, too, Hagrid!" Hermione told him firmly. Only one person would have been able to argue with Hermione when she was using that tone of voice and that person was Hagrid.

"You'll do no such thing…you think I want yeh seein' somethin' like tha'? No. Yeh just drink yer tea an' be off. Oh, but before yeh do, Ron," Hagrid said, sounding as though something had just come back to him. He got up from the table and got something from a cupboard.

"Scabbers!" Ron exclaimed. "You're alive!"

Devyn looked up from her tea and nearly dropped her cup. Now being held in Ron's hands was Scabbers the rat. His long rubbery looking tail twitched from side to side, almost irritably…had he been hiding for some reason?

"Yeh'll want to keep a closer eye on yer pets, Ron!"

Ron looked so overjoyed that Scabbers was alive, but Devyn was growing very suspicious. Something about this seemed so odd. Why would Scabbers have taken off like that? And why was he so aggravated at being back with his owner?

Sirius Black was an Animagus…he turned into a dog…it explained his nickname in the very least…_Padfoot_…dogs had little pads on their paws to protect them from damage. It wasn't so crazy to assume that James, Peter and Devyn's father, Michael were all Animagi too. And if Black's nickname came from a characteristic of his Animagus form…wouldn't it have made sense for the others' to as well?

_Moony _was fairly obvious. It referred to her godfather's conflict with the full moon.

_Hoot _was also pretty clear. Her father clearly had the ability to transform into an owl.

_Prongs _was little more difficult…perhaps a bull? But bulls didn't have prongs, they had horns…well, 'prongs' was another word for antlers, so maybe James had been a stag.

And finally…_Wormtail_… Devyn didn't really know what to make of that, but as she was thinking, she watched Scabbers' tail flick back and forth…back and forth…it was a strange little appendage that the rat had…almost like a…like…_**like a worm**_.

_WORMTAIL_, Devyn thought, an imaginary light bulb illuminating over her head. _Pettigrew can transform into a rat. But that in itself is difficult enough…there are rats everywhere…if he's even alive, __**he **__could be anywhere…but Black chose to come to Hogwarts to hunt down Pettigrew…so it makes sense to think that Pettigrew - again operating on the belief that he actually is alive and Black's not just an insane pathological liar and killer - would also be at Hogwarts…and if he does turn into rat…but there are tons of rats running around Hogwarts. How can Black be sure he knows Pettigrew is actually here, if he's hiding in his rat form, which would make the most sense. He must have seen Pettigrew around somewhere recently and figured out that he would be at Hogwarts…but where? And if Pettigrew really is a rat…then it's possible that Scabbers __**is **__Pettigrew. Unlikely, but not impossible. _

Devyn's eyes went from Scabbers' tail to his paw…which was missing one of its' toes. _All they could find of Pettigrew was his finger._ Was it really so insane to think he might have cut it off himself in order to frame Black and make his escape? It would have been easy enough…Black was already a suspect Death Eater because of his family history…it would have been only too easy to frame Black for the murder of twelve Muggles and a 'poor, defenseless good guy' like Pettigrew would have been pretending to be…and for handing the Potters, two of the most skilled fighters the good side had, over to Voldemort, who had been hunting them anyway.

It's entirely possible, Devyn figured, that Peter Pettigrew was the real Death Eater and traitor and Black, an innocent man, had served twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't, could never commit.

_**Whoa girl…slow it down, Dev. You're getting way ahead of yourself here. I won't argue with the fact that Pettigrew could in fact be Scabbers, but you're getting way too far in your little fantasy world. You need to calm down and get out of your head. **_

And there was Snow. Right on time, Devyn noted. Every time her thoughts got a little wild or her mind started dashing off in every which way, Snow usually popped up to restore order. It helped immensely and Devyn forced herself out of her mind after thanking Snow mentally.

"I think you owe someone an apology," Hermione said, her inflection clearly dropping a hint.

"Right," Ron said, turning to Hermione, clutching 'Scabbers' in his hands. Devyn forced her eyes off the rat and onto her friends. "Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know."

Devyn rolled her eyes and groaned internally. She looked at Harry and Neville and their expressions told her that they were doing the same.

"I meant me!" Hermione growled. Ron had no time to retort because at the moment, a small object flew into the room, shattering Hagrid's window and a clay pot that it hit.

"Blimey!" Hagrid exclaimed. "What was tha'?"

Harry picked up the small object and looked at it. Devyn noticed that it looked like a shell, but she wasn't completely sure.

"Ow!" Harry cried as another shell hit the back of his head. "Ah…"

He rubbed the sore spot on his head and turned around to look out the window. And that was when he saw them. Dumbledore, Fudge, and the executioner were making their way down to Hagrid's hut.

"Hagrid…" he said warningly.

"Oh, crikey," Hagrid muttered when he spotted them. Devyn's heart sank in her chest when she realized what this meant. Buckbeak's clock had run out. His time was up…his final hour was at hand, and Devyn found her heart was breaking.

She didn't want Buckbeak to go. It wasn't his fault and this wasn't fair. _Life_ wasn't fair and this simple truth upset her more than a complex one ever could.

And when Hagrid turned to look at them with fear and pain in his dark eyes, Devyn's only wish in the world was that she would never have to see that look in his eyes ever again.

_This wasn't fair_.


	28. Chapter 28

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS. **

**Chapter 28**

"It's late," Hagrid said. "It's nearly dark."

Devyn wanted to say something – anything – to help ease Hagrid's mind, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Yeh shouldn't be here. Someone sees yeh outside the castle this time o' night, yeh'll be in trouble. Big trouble! Particularly you, Harry!" Hagrid said. Dumbledore was leading Fudge and the executioner up to Hagrid's front door, but Devyn noticed that he was taking his sweet time doing it.

Someone knocked on his front door and Hagrid called out, "Be with yeh in a moment!" He turned back to the five of them and motioned for them to go out the back door. "Quick, quick!"

They hurried as fast as they could, but Harry hesitated and turned back. "Hagrid," he said, searching for something reassuring to say. "It'll be fine. It'll be okay."

Hagrid nodded, looking desperate for them to leave, and said, "Go on, go on!"

Devyn grabbed Harry by his sleeve and pulled him out the door. The two of them creeped out the back and into the pumpkin patch, peering over the massive orange fruits.

"That's the ling you see over there…" Dumbledore was telling Fudge. Devyn raised her eyebrows and looked at Neville, who shrugged. Dumbledore was clearly playing for time here, and it made her wonder why…

She shrugged. Maybe Dumbledore was just as upset about Buckbeak's execution as they were and he wanted to delay it as long as possible.

"On the slope," Fudge said, looking where Dumbledore was gesturing. Their headmaster nodded and said, "On the slope…ah, Hagrid!"

Hagrid had just opened the door, obviously, because the three men disappeared into Hagrid's house. "Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid greeted. Devyn noticed that he didn't bother saying hello to the Minister – he probably still had some sore feelings over the whole 'being sent to Azkaban when he didn't do anything' debacle.

"Good evening, Hagrid," Dumbledore replied.

"Just make your way through…have some tea, if you like," Hagrid told them. Devyn smiled sadly. Hagrid was such a good person…he didn't deserve to go through this. Anger flared up in her chest at the thought of the unfairness going on here. If it had been anyone but Malfoy who was 'attacked', nothing would have happened. But because Malfoy felt the need to go running to his daddy over the smallest of things, Buckbeak was going to die.

The injustice of it all infuriated her.

"No, Hagrid, no," Fudge said, sounding weary. He probably wanted to get this over with. It was a bit weird, Devyn contemplated, that the Minister himself was getting involved. It was just a simple execution. Dumbledore was obviously serving as the witness…they had Buckbeak…they had the executioner. Why did Fudge need to be there?

_Lucius Malfoy probably bribed him if he went and personally made sure that Buckbeak was killed. Despicable_, she thought.

"I'd like a cup of tea," Dumbledore interjected. Devyn grinned to her friends – Dumbledore was employing every subtle technique he could to prolong the inevitable.

"Well," Fudge said stubbornly. "I think we should get down to our business, shall we? Very well. It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff known as Buckbeak, herein after called 'the condemned', shall be executed this day at sundown."

Fudge was clearly reading of a piece of parchment that was more than likely signed by the members of the Committee.

"Dear, dear," Hagrid whimpered. Dumbledore tried to comfort him, but Devyn didn't think it would work very well.

"The executioner," Fudge continued. "shall be dispatched -"

Devyn never really heard the rest of what Fudge said because at that moment, there was a loud snap, like someone had just stepped on a twig or something. Someone that would had to have been standing right behind them.

Hermione and Devyn whirled around, just in time to see the slightest hint of pink amongst the dark bark of the trees. _What the hell was that?_ Devyn asked herself.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I thought I just saw…" Hermione said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. She shook her head and said, "Never mind."

"Let's go," Ron suggested, keeping a tight hold on Scabbers as he started scampering away from the pumpkin patch, back up towards the castle.

Devyn nodded, grabbed Neville's hand, and the two of them ran after Ron with Harry and Hermione not far behind them.

As they moved away from Hagrid's house, Devyn heard Hagrid say, "Buckbeak didn't mean no harm!"

Devyn bit back the angry tears that threatened to make an appearance as she and her friends leveled off at the top of the hill, back up near the school. They turned to watch the grisly scene, although they really shouldn't have.

But, Devyn supposed, it didn't really matter because the pumpkins were blocking their view of Buckbeak. All they saw was the executioner plant his feet down, raise his axe, and –

_THUMP!_

Devyn's heart skipped a beat when she realized that Buckbeak was dead. Hermione broke down and started crying, hiding her face in Ron's shoulder. Harry leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder and patted her on the back, trying to be as comforting as he could. Devyn, on her part, wrapped her arms around Neville's waist and held onto him. Although she hadn't started crying, Neville had a few tears spilling over and it sent a pain coursing through Devyn like she had never encountered before.

She never wanted to see that desolate, lost look in Neville's eyes ever again.

"Oh…oh, no," Ron moaned. They were silent for a few moments out of respect for Buckbeak, but suddenly Ron gasped in pain and dropped Scabbers, a bloody cut now on his finger.

"He bit me!" Ron said, sounding shocked. "Scabbers!"

The rat had made a run for it and Ron, determined not to lose him again, dashed after him with clearly no knowledge as to the direction he was running. But the other four knew exactly what was lying on the other side of that hill.

"Ron! Ron, no!" Hermione called.

"Ron!" Harry and Neville yelled.

"Scabbers, come back!" Ron shouted at his rat.

"Wait!" Devyn bellowed. But Ron didn't listen, and she hadn't expected him to. But this was a major problem; setting aside the notion that they would get into serious trouble if they were caught outside at this time, there was also Trelawney's prediction to contend with and also the fact that Scabbers and Ron – and by extension, Devyn, Neville, Hermione, and Harry – were all headed for The Whomping Willow.

They chased after him up the hill and back down over it, only to find Ron diving for Scabbers, grabbing him and sitting up, cradling the rat in his hands.

"Scabbers, you bit me!" Ron chastised his rat.

"Harry, you do realize what tree this is…" Hermione commented.

"That's not good," Harry said, "RON, RUN!"

Ron looked up and terror warped his features. He pointed to something behind them and said, "Harry! Guys, run! It's the Grim!"

The four turned and sure enough, there was the Grim – or actually, Devyn realized after a moment, it was Black – and she didn't know which was worse. The dog spared her and Harry a moment's glance before bounding towards them and jumping, clearing them entirely. Instead of going after Harry, like they all had expected – although Devyn had doubted it – the large dog went after Ron, biting down hard and grabbing him by the leg and dragging him off towards the the Whomping Willow, kicking and screaming for help. Black dragged Ron down into a person-sized hole at the base of the tree.

When the four of them tried to follow after Black and Ron, they were knocked unceremoniously off their feet by one of the unruly branches of the Whomping Willow. As they got back on their feet, moaning and groaning all the way, Devyn willed herself to become Snow. She was going to need her for this.

Devyn felt her body twist and shift, her legs and arms becoming powerful, white fur sprouting out of her skin, her senses heightening to incredible proportions. It had been months since she had transformed and when she did, she realized that she was slightly bigger and stronger than she had been last time.

_Good_, she thought. _I'm going to need that strength. _

She nudged Neville's hand with her snout and when he looked down at her, he smiled and she somehow gestured for him to grab hold of her fur. He closed his fist around a patch of fur on her neck, but not hard enough to cause any discomfort. She looked at him and he nodded – he knew exactly what she was going to do.

She and Neville started running; Snow was helping to guide him through the flailing branches of the Willow, while Harry and Hermione were ducking and jumping as best they could while trying to get close to the opening that Ron had been forced into.

Snow and Neville bobbed and weaved through the dangerous branches and finally managed to make to the base of the tree. Neville crawled and Devyn padded into the opening in the tree – Snow instinctively knew that Hermione and Harry would not be far behind them – and sure enough, seconds after they had gotten out of the way of the entrance, Harry was launched, stumbling, into the cramped cavern. He fell to his hands and knees and Neville moved forward to help him up but before he could, Hermione, who must have launched herself in, came stumbling in and fell right on top of Harry.

Harry collapsed back onto the floor and grunted. Hermione gasped and said, "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry," Harry said. Both of them had numerous scratches on their faces and Hermione immediately moved off him and he got up, for the first time noticing that Devyn had transformed into Snow. He raised his eyebrows and Snow cocked her head at him.

He smiled and shrugged, patting Snow on the head before moving past her and Neville deeper into the passageway.

"Where do you suppose this goes?" Hermione asked out loud. Neville shrugged and Snow whined, realizing where this probably led.

"I have a hunch…I just hope I'm wrong," Harry said, and they started walking down the passageway. They were careful to be silent, listening for any sounds from Ron, or even Black. Luckily, Snow's ears were on alert, so she would hear any sounds before the others did.

They walked, crouched (except for Snow, who was on all fours anyway), down the path, until they finally came to a wooden door above them. Harry pushed it open and ascended the small ladder. He reached the top and when he was out into whatever building the path had led them to, he turned and help Hermione and Neville up.

He looked at Snow questioningly, but she shook her head and motioned for him to move with a twitch of her head. Harry moved off to the side, but made sure that the trap door stayed open. Snow crouched back on her haunches, put a fair amount of power into her back legs and sprang up from the dirt passageway and onto the dusty wooden floor next to her friends.

"Whoa," Neville whispered. Snow turned to him and nuzzled his hand in thanks. He chuckled and rubbed her head affectionately.

"We're in the Shrieking Shack…aren't we?" Hermione asked, having realized where they were. Snow looked at her unblinkingly and nodded.

"Come on," Harry said, started to walk up the creaky stairs. The entire house was creaking and moaning; in fact, it sounded like the whole structure was going fall in on itself any second. This was not a comforting thought to Snow at all, but she tried to keep her nerve steady.

They reached the top of the stairs and Snow smelled blood before anyone else heard a single noise. She made beeline for what looked like a bedroom just as Ron cried out in pain. The smell of Ron's blood was strong and bitter and metallic and it made Snow's stomach turn. She padded over to Ron, who was still clutching Scabbers, as her friends rushed in after her.

Her eyes met Ron's and in that moment, she saw Ron's fear of her diminish. She lowered her head and instinct took over as she tried to lick Ron's wound clean. Ron looked both confused and a little disgusted, but made no move to stop her. Snow tried to clean it as best she could, but there was only so much she could do.

The taste of Ron's blood was bitter in her mouth but thankfully it didn't last long. "Ron!" Harry said, rushing in. Hermione mimicked Harry and called Ron's name as she followed Harry and Neville into the room.

"You okay?" she asked. Ron looked up at her, his face pale, but his expression scared.

"The dog," Harry asked urgently. "Where is it?"

"Harry, it's a trap! He's the dog, he's an Animagus!" Ron exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger behind them. Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Snow all looked at the floor beneath their feet and noticed for the first time footprints in the thick dust that lay upon the floor. They went from the paw prints of a very large dog to the staggering footprints of a man.

They led to the broken door of the room that they were in and Snow noticed the grey-colored robes dangling near a person's feet. He must have pushed the door away from himself because it creaked back towards the door frame and there, standing in front of them, was Sirius Black.

Snow instinctively jumped in front of her friends and bared her very sharp teeth at Black, growling loudly at him. He looked down at her in momentary surprise before shifting his gaze back up towards Harry. He took a step nearer to Harry and Hermione stepped in front of him, protecting him.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too," she said. Snow backed her up by letting out a terrifying snarl that again broke Black's concentration on Harry. Neville's eyes went as wide as saucers and he moved back to stay with Ron as Black said, "No. Only one will die tonight."

A fury like Devyn had never seen crossed Harry's face and he rushed past Snow and Hermione, snarling, "Then it'll be you!"

"_Harry!"_ Hermione cried as he pushed her out of the way. Harry rushed at Black and within seconds had him tackled to the ground, one hand wrapped around Black's throat and the other holding his wand, which was pointed directly at Black's face.

Snow hovered near, not sure what to do. If she tried to pull Harry off Black, then Harry might get hurt and they would all accuse her of being on Black's side. If she didn't, Harry might actually kill Black, and that was something she was sure Harry didn't want to do. He wasn't a murderer.

Harry was breathing heavily as Black started chuckling. "Are you going to kill me, Harry?" Black asked, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

If the expression on Harry's face was anything to go by, he was seriously considering killing Black, but before things could go any further, the door crashed open and Moony hurtled into the room, his wand raised high.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Moony cried. Harry's wand flew out of his hand and he looked at Moony in utter bewilderment. Even Snow had to wonder what was going on; she thought that Moony was Black's enemy…why would he be helping to save him?

Moony nodded his head towards Hermione and Harry scrambled away from Black. It didn't escape Snow's notice that if it were anyone else who told him to get off Black (except maybe Dumbledore) Harry would not have given up on trying to kill him so easily.

Hermione reached forward and pulled on Harry's arm, bringing him once more into the area of her protection. Snow once again moved in front of her friends and stared Moony down as he stood above Black, looking viciously satisfied.

"Well, well, Sirius, looking rather ragged aren't we?" Moony said, pointing his wand at Black and sounding as though he were taunting him. "Finally the flesh reflects the madness within."

Black, who was still on the floor, looked up at Moony and said, "Well, you'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you, Remus?"

And then Moony did something that utterly perplexed the children in the room; he lowered his wand and smiled at Black. Reaching out a hand, he pulled Black to his feet and hugged him like a long lost brother would his sibling.

Snow blinked in utter confusion. _Just what the hell is going on? Has he been lying to me this whole time? Has he been working with Black? Or does he know he's actually innocent? _

Hermione moved away from Harry and went towards Moony, a betrayed and disbelieving look on her face.

"I found him!" Black said, nearly sobbing with relief.

"I know," Moony replied.

"He's here!"

"I understand."

"_Let's kill him!_" Black exclaimed.

"**NO!**" Hermione shouted. "I trusted you! And all this time…you've been his friend!" She turned to Snow and mouthed, 'I'm sorry' before turning back and pointing at Moony. "He's a werewolf! That's why he's been missing classes!"

Snow growled at Hermione and she flinched, but she knew that Hermione was only trying to protect Harry. She couldn't blame her for that…but Snow really had hoped that Moony wouldn't have to deal with the outright prejudice because of what he was.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen. There was nothing she could do about it now.

Moony turned away from Black and looked at Hermione suspiciously. "How long have you known?"

Hermione, breathing heavily, said, "Since Professor Snape set the essay."

Moony smiled bitterly and chuckled. "Well, well, well, Hermione, you really are the brightest witch of your age I've ever met."

"_**Enough talk, Remus! Come on, let's kill him!**_" Black shouted.

"Wait," Moony said, turning to him.

"**I DID MY WAITING! TWELVE YEARS OF IT! IN AZKABAN!**" Black bellowed at Moony. Snow growled and Black shot her a look. He nodded and backed off slightly. Moony turned to look at Snow, confusion written all over his face, and then looked back at Black.

"Who…?"

Black rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, come on, Remus, don't play dumb. What, you don't recognize your own goddaughter?"

Moony blinked before laughing out loud. "My goddaughter? What do you mean, my goddaughter? That's not Devyn…" Moony said, looking back at Snow. She knew the jig was up and it was time to come clean. "She's not…Devyn…"

Snow looked up at Moony and bowed her head before transforming back into her human form.

"Hi, Moony."

"Devyn…you're…you're an Animagus? Why didn't you tell me?" Moony said, looking hurt that she didn't tell him.

"I was going to! But then you told me that you hated everything to do with wolves! How was I supposed to tell you that I'm a wolf Animagus after that?"

Moony ran a hand over his weary face and sighed deeply. "Devyn…that could never apply to you. I could never hate anything to do with you. I love you more than you'll ever know, and I'm sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't tell me…that's my fault. And I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too…I should have told you sooner…"

"Why? How long have you…?"

"**REMUS!**" Black shouted. "**I have done my waiting and now I am going to kill him! Understand?!**"

Moony looked at Black, then back at Devyn and Harry, before handing his wand to Black. He snatched it from Moony's hand rather rudely and Moony held up a finger. "Very well. Kill him. But wait one more minute. Harry has the right to know why."

"I know why," Harry said shakily. He stepped forward and said, "You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead."

"No, Harry," Moony said ferociously. "It wasn't him. Somebody did betray your parents but it was somebody who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead!"

"Who was it then?!" Harry challenged Moony.

"_Peter_ _Pettigrew_!" Black said, looking extremely unhinged. "And he's in this room! Right now! Come out, come out, Peter! Come out, come out and _play_!" He moved towards Ron, it looked like, but that didn't make any sense…which meant that he was going towards the only other creature in that corner – Scabbers…which meant -

"_Expelliarmus!_"

If things could have gotten any worse, then they just did. Snape rushed into the room and disarmed Black in the blink of an eye. Moony's wand went spiraling out of Black's hands and now they were all at the mercy of Professor Snape, who was looking rather insane himself.

_Lovely_, Devyn thought dryly. _Just perfect. Just when we were getting somewhere._


End file.
